Clinical effectiveness of basic root canal treatment after 24 months: a randomized controlled trial.

INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of basic root canal treatment (BRT) with tactile working length determination in terms of radiographic and clinical outcome parameters compared with endodontic treatment with standard radiographic working length control. METHODS: This was a clinical, multicenter, controlled, open-label trial to evaluate BRT effectiveness after 24 months. The primary end point was the apical extension score of the radiographic quality parameter of root canal fillings. The secondary radiographic end point was the periapical index, and the secondary clinical end point was tooth tender to percussion. The safety end point was tooth loss as a consequence of endodontic failure. Statistical analyses of binary and categoric data were calculated using cross tables and the chi-square test. RESULTS: BRT with tactile working length determination compared with standard radiographic working length control did not significantly differ in terms of radiographic and clinical outcomes after 24 months. The apical extension of the root canal fillings and the periapical anatomic structures showed no significant differences according to radiographic analyses (P = .5). Corresponding results were found in clinical aspects of tooth tender to percussion (P = .6) and tooth loss (P = .7). CONCLUSIONS: Tactile working length determination in BRT resulted in comparable treatment outcomes compared with standard endodontic treatment with radiographic working length control and turned out to be an accurate method in BRT.