Endodontic treatment or dental implant treatment

INTRODUCTION: The main purpose of today's dental treatment is the longest possible retention of teeth with all its functional and esthetic aspects. Thanks to modern endodontic techniques and microsurgical procedures, it is possible today to treat and keep teeth that would have had to be extracted before. On the other hand, the latest development of forms and surfaces of dental implants, improved operation techniques and precision in preparing superstructures have determined a significant increase of percentage of successful implantations and survival rate of the implants, widening the range of possibilities of prosthetic reconstructions. The aim of this study is to present current, often ambiguous view on the problem of long-term effects of endodontic treatment and its impact on teeth retention compared with effects of dental implant treatment and to try to answer the question: extirpation or implantation? MATERIALS AND METHODS: The comparative research was based on studies published within two databases: PubMed and Medline. RESULTS: Studies from a 10 years' period show similar percentage of surviving teeth after endodontic treatment and surviving implants: between 86 and 94 per cent with slight advantage of the implants. Esthetic problems, the time needed for implantation procedures and high costs of implant treatment make implantation less attractive and accessible. However, anatomical limitations ofmultirooted teeth, extensive periapical granulomatic lesions or considerable crown and root destruction are all indications for implant treatment. The lack of clear-cut evaluation criteria regarding both endodontic and implant treatment success makes statistic analysis impossible.