Assessment of the clinical outcome of the use of 3D printed guides for endodontic treatment

ISRCTN ISRCTN75277265
DOI https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN75277265
Submission date
20/01/2023
Registration date
17/02/2023
Last edited
07/11/2024
Recruitment status
No longer recruiting
Overall study status
Completed
Condition category
Oral Health
Prospectively registered
Protocol
Statistical analysis plan
Results
Individual participant data

Plain English summary of protocol

Background and study aims
The use of 3D-printed guides in dentistry offers a highly predictable outcome and lowers the risk of damage to the tooth. Up to five times less tooth substance is lost when drilling is guided compared with conventional treatment, allowing for minimally invasive treatment and a shorter treatment time. The aim of this study is to treat patients with the aid of a guiding system and assess the clinical outcome of guided endodontic treatment compared with freehand drilling (from a historical control group) in the context of quality control. Endodontics is a dental procedure used to treat infection at the centre of a tooth.

Who can participate?
Patients who need complex endodontic treatment in otherwise hopeless teeth

What does the study involve?
Endodontic treatment will be performed with the aid of a 3D printed guide that will fit snugly on the patient’s teeth and will help to guide the bur through a metallic sleeve for the drilling of an access cavity up to the root canal entrance. The clinical outcome of the patients will be compared to the outcome of patients from a historical control group, in which endodontic treatment was performed freehanded (without the assistance of a guiding system). The clinical outcome will be evaluated during treatment and the patients will be followed up at 6 months, 1 year and yearly after treatment, until healed.

What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
Known potential benefits of the use of a guiding system are: a reduced likelihood of damage to the tooth, minimally invasive treatment, a high accuracy or likelihood of finding the target, reduced treatment time and increased safety. Potential risks are: damage to the root due to poor fitting of the guide or poor design, the persistence of bacteria (inside or outside of the canal), inadequate filling of the root canal and overextensions of root filling materials.

Where is the study run from?
UZ Leuven (Belgium)

When is the study starting and how long is expected to run for?
January 2018 to November 2023

Who is funding the study?
Investigator initiated and funded

Who is the main contact?
Andres Torres, andres.torres@kuleuven.be

Contact information

Mr Andres Torres
Principal Investigator

OMFS-IMPATH Research Group
St Raphael Hospital.
Kapucijnenvoer 33
Leuven
3000
Belgium

ORCiD logoORCID ID 0000-0001-8233-3025
Phone +32 (0)16 34 55 77
Email andres.torres@kuleuven.be

Study information

Study designProspective non-randomized single-center study with an external (historical) control group
Primary study designInterventional
Secondary study designNon randomised study
Study setting(s)Hospital
Study typeTreatment
Participant information sheet Not available in web format, please use contact details to request a participant information sheet
Scientific titleControlled clinical trial on the clinical outcome of guided endodontics vs freehand drilling for the treatment of pulp canal obliteration
Study objectivesGuided endodontics has a greater success rate than freehand drilling for the treatment of pulp canal obliteration
Ethics approval(s)Approved 29/04/2022, Ethics Committee Research UZ/KU Leuven (Herestraat 49B, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; +32 (0)16 34 86 00; ec@uzleuven.be), ref: S64630
Health condition(s) or problem(s) studiedApical periodontitis in teeth presenting with pulp canal obliteration
InterventionEndodontic treatment will be performed in every patient with the aid of a 3D printed guide that will fit snugly on the patient’s teeth and will help to guide the bur through a metallic sleeve for the drilling of an access cavity up to the root canal entrance. Every treatment will be performed under a dental microscope and adhering to the quality guidelines for endodontic treatment from the European Society of Endodontics. Such treatment can have a total duration of between 1 and 2 hours. Root canal treatment will be assessed at 6 months, 1 year and yearly as required, with a thorough clinical examination and acquisition of intraoral radiographs.
Intervention typeProcedure/Surgery
Primary outcome measureThe clinical outcome of the use of a guiding system (root canal found, not found or perforation of the root), assessed during treatment
Secondary outcome measures1. Precision measurements (i.e. deviation of the access cavity) will be recorded by acquiring a digital intraoral impression during treatment. This second impression is then registered with the planning and the exact deviation of the drilling path can be calculated using 3D software. The deviation at the entry point and end of cavity will be measured and recorded in millimeters. The drilling angulation in comparison to the planned trajectory will be measured and recorded in degrees.
2. Outcome of root canal treatment assessed at 6 months, 1 year and yearly as required with a thorough clinical examination and acquisition of intraoral radiographs. The following findings indicate a favorable outcome: absence of pain, swelling and other symptoms, no sinus tract, no loss of function and radiological evidence of a normal periodontal ligament space around the root.
3. Tooth survival, defined as the continuous function of the tooth in the mouth with an absence of clinical symptoms, but regardless of their radiographic periapical status, measured together with the planned follow-up at 6 months, 1 year and yearly until healing of the case
Overall study start date01/01/2018
Completion date01/11/2023

Eligibility

Participant type(s)Patient
Age groupAdult
SexBoth
Target number of participants60
Total final enrolment60
Key inclusion criteriaMale or female patients attending the Endodontic Department at the University Hospitals of Leuven, Campus Sint-Rafaël with the need for complex endodontic treatment. To classify as complex, the tooth may present one or more of the following:
1. Pulp canal obliteration (PCO) or canal not seen on a periapical radiograph
2. Anatomical deviations (dens in dente or other) where localizing the root canal may be challenging or compromise the tooth by free-handed treatment
3. Present an obstruction in the canal
4. Resorption, either internal or external
5. Root perforation
6. Presenting symptoms and/or radiographic signs of apical periodontitis (AP)
Key exclusion criteria1. Patient unwilling or unable to comply with the endodontic treatment and follow-up periods
2. Tooth in need of extraction or with an unfavorable prognosis
Date of first enrolment24/05/2018
Date of final enrolment23/09/2022

Locations

Countries of recruitment

  • Belgium

Study participating centre

UZ Leuven Sint-Rafaël
Kapucijnenvoer 7
Leuven
3000
Belgium

Sponsor information

St Raphael Hospital
Hospital/treatment centre

c/o Prof. Reinhilde Jacobs
OMFS-IMPATH Research Group
Kapucijnenvoer 33
Leuven
3000
Belgium

Phone +32 (0)16 332452
Email reinhilde.jacobs@kuleuven.be

Funders

Funder type

Other

Investigator initiated and funded

No information available

Results and Publications

Intention to publish date01/07/2024
Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to shareYes
IPD sharing plan summaryPublished as a supplement to the results publication
Publication and dissemination planPlanned publication in a high-impact peer-reviewed journal. All additional files will be provided as supplementary material upon publication in a high-end peer-reviewed journal.
IPD sharing planThe datasets generated and/or analysed during the current study will be published as a supplement to the results publication.

Study outputs

Output type Details Date created Date added Peer reviewed? Patient-facing?
Results article 06/11/2024 07/11/2024 Yes No

Editorial Notes

07/11/2024: Publication reference added.
20/01/2023: Trial's existence confirmed by the Ethics Committee Research UZ/KU Leuven.