Abu Zaghlan Rawan, Taha Nessrin, Alqadi Areej, AlHafnawi Afnan, Sabri Ahmad, Alnahar Rawan
Department of Restorative Dentistry, School of Dentistry, The University of Jordan, Amman 11942, Jordan.
Department of Conservative Dentistry, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan.
Int J Dent. 2025 Sep 8;2025:3969832. doi: 10.1155/ijod/3969832. eCollection 2025.
To explore the current state of awareness and acceptance of vital pulp therapy (VPT) in permanent teeth among dental students and dental practitioners in Jordan. An online questionnaire was sent to undergraduate (UG) students, intern dentists, general dental practitioners (GDPs), paediatric dentistry postgraduates (PGs) (Paed. PGs) and endodontics PGs (Endo. PGs) to collect data on their source of information and references about VPT. The survey encompassed assessments of participants' understanding of indications, contraindications, technical steps, materials, complications and factors influencing the success of VPT procedures. Descriptive analysis was performed, and chi-square tests were used to assess correlations ( ≤ 0.05). A total of 402 responses were analysed. Of these, 11.4% had never practiced VPT, while the remaining respondents reported practicing it with varying frequencies, ranging from 27.4% on a weekly basis to 23.4% rarely. PGs and GDPs practiced VPT more than other categories ( < 0.001), position statements were less relied upon for information. Participants were familiar with indirect pulp capping (IPC) and direct pulp capping (DPC) (91.8% and 87.1%, respectively) more than full (78.9%) and partial pulpotomy (70.4%). Irreversible pulpitis (39.1%) and extensive restorative needs (36.8%) were commonly perceived as contraindications for VPT. For reversible pulpitis, stepwise selective caries removal with IPC was the preferred treatment (30.6%), while root canal treatment (RCT) was preferred for irreversible pulpitis (47.5%). Calcium hydroxide (51.7%) was the preferred material for IPC among UGs and GDPs, while calcium silicate-based materials (34.3%) were favoured by PGs. Mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) was the material of choice for DPC and pulpotomy (71.6%) across all groups. Sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) (58.7%) was the preferred material for achieving haemostasis. Most participants (80.1%) were aware of clinical and radiographic outcome assessment and the importance of aseptic technique. Lack of knowledge was the main barrier to VPT, and over 96% expressed interest in further training. While there is a generally positive attitude toward VPT among dental professionals in Jordan, gaps exist in indications, clinical procedures and complications, particularly among UGs and GDPs. This highlights the need for enhanced curricula and continuing education programmes to bridge these gaps and enhance confidence in performing VPT. Improving practitioners' knowledge and confidence in performing VPT could popularize it as a minimally invasive, cost-effective and less technically challenging alternative to RCT in appropriate clinical scenarios. This would ultimately benefit patient outcomes and long-term oral health.
为探究约旦牙科学生和牙科从业者对恒牙活髓治疗（VPT）的认知和接受现状。向本科（UG）学生、实习牙医、普通牙科从业者（GDP）、儿童牙科研究生（PG）（儿科PG）和牙髓病学PG（牙髓PG）发放了一份在线问卷，以收集他们关于VPT的信息来源和参考文献的数据。该调查涵盖了对参与者对VPT程序的适应证、禁忌证、技术步骤、材料、并发症及影响成功的因素的理解的评估。进行了描述性分析，并使用卡方检验来评估相关性（≤0.05）。共分析了402份回复。其中，11.4%的人从未进行过VPT，其余受访者报告了不同的操作频率，从每周27.4%到很少操作的23.4%不等。PG和GDP进行VPT的频率高于其他类别（<0.001），较少依赖立场声明获取信息。参与者对间接盖髓术（IPC）和直接盖髓术（DPC）（分别为91.8%和87.1%）的熟悉程度高于牙髓切断术（78.9%）和部分牙髓切断术（70.4%）。不可逆性牙髓炎（39.1%）和广泛的修复需求（36.8%）通常被视为VPT的禁忌证。对于可逆性牙髓炎，采用IPC逐步选择性龋坏去除是首选治疗方法（30.6%），而对于不可逆性牙髓炎，根管治疗（RCT）是首选（47.5%）。氢氧化钙（51.7%）是UG和GDP进行IPC时的首选材料，而基于硅酸钙的材料（34.3%）受到PG的青睐。矿物三氧化物聚合物（MTA）是所有组进行DPC和牙髓切断术（71.6%）的首选材料。次氯酸钠（NaOCl）（58.7%）是实现止血的首选材料。大多数参与者（80.1%）了解临床和影像学结果评估以及无菌技术的重要性。知识缺乏是VPT的主要障碍，超过96%的人表示有兴趣参加进一步培训。虽然约旦牙科专业人员对VPT总体持积极态度，但在适应证、临床操作和并发症方面存在差距，特别是在UG和GDP中。这凸显了加强课程和继续教育项目以弥合这些差距并增强进行VPT的信心的必要性。提高从业者进行VPT的知识和信心可以使其在适当的临床场景中作为RCT的微创、经济高效且技术挑战性较小的替代方法得到推广。这最终将有益于患者的治疗结果和长期口腔健康。
