Evaluation of undergraduate Endodontic teaching in dental schools within Spain.

AIM To evaluate the current situation of undergraduate endodontic teaching in Spanish dental schools. METHODOLOGY An online version, translated into Spanish, of a survey conducted in the UK (Al Raisi et al. 2019) was sent via email to the undergraduate endodontic program leads in the 23 Spanish dental schools. RESULTS The response rate was 96%. In 95% of dental schools endodontics is taught in the fourth year. Students treat simple root canal treatment cases in 100% of schools and only in 40% treat moderate cases. In 65% of schools students are supervised by full-time professors who are specialists in Endodontics, significantly more frequently in private dental schools (p = 0.002). Spanish dental schools use both rotary and reciprocating instrumentation systems during endodontic training, with consistency on methods of working length determination, use of silicate-based endodontic cements, irrigating solutions, inter-visit medicaments and canal filling techniques. No type of magnification is used in 90% of dental schools and only 25% use ultrasonic instruments. Private dental schools have a significantly better staff: student ratio during clinical practice (p = 0.041), spend significantly more hours in clinical training (p = 0.04), and have significantly greater number of areas specifically dedicated to Endodontics (p = 0.010). CONCLUSIONS Undergraduate endodontic teaching in Spanish dental schools follows the key recommendations of the ESE Undergraduate Curriculum Guidelines (ESE 2013), being, in most respects, comparable to that carried out in the UK (Al Raisi et al. 2019). The use of magnification and ultrasonic instruments need to be increased. Private schools reported better results than public schools in some of the analysed variables.