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The present study aimed to evaluate the materials, methods, and equipment used by general dentists in southeastern Iran for endodontic treatments in 2021.  

In this cross-sectional study, 121 standard questionnaires were distributed among general dentists in Rafsanjan city, Iran. The questionnaire included demographics and questions regarding the type of materials, methods, and equipment selected by general dentists. The collected data were analyzed by SPSS version 22 using the Chi-square test and ANOVA.

The response rate of the participants was 83%(n=100); of which, 55% were females and 45% were males. Only 28% of dentists performed pulp vitality tests, and 46% performed sinus tract tracing in case of infection. Cotton rolls were used by 71% for further isolation, apex locator and radiography were used concurrently to determine the working length by 62%, and canal preparation was done by rotary and manual files by 48%. Rotary M3 and ProTaper files were more commonly used by dentists. Electric rotary handpieces were used for canal instrumentation by 64%, and rotary orifice shapers were more commonly used for canal flaring (61%). The most commonly used obturation method was lateral compaction. Most general dentists used formocresol-impregnated cotton pellets for pulpotomy (43%). Half of the dentists used saline for canal irrigation. Calcium hydroxide was the most commonly used intracanal medicament (87%), and 53% used polymerized sealers.

General dentists evaluated in this study violated some of the standards and need to take more training courses.

The presence of impacted teeth is a common phenomenon and is considerably prevalent in different societies. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and position of impacted third molars in Rafsanjan, Iran in 2019-2020.

In this cross-sectional retrospective study, 1200 panoramic radiographs were examined. The tooth position and angle of impaction was recorded and determined by two specialists. Independent t-test and chi-square test were used for statistical analysis.

C vertical position with 1382 teeth (63.33%) and horizontal class II position in the mandible with 767 teeth (59.54%) were the most common. A statistically significant relationship was observed between the position of the mandibular third molars and the presence of lesion (p=0.001).

This study showed a relatively high frequency of impacted teeth in patients in Rafsanjan city. Therefore, given the occurrence of common complications such as caries and periodontal diseases caused by impacted teeth, accurate screening, timely diagnosis, and proper treatment are recommended.