Webinar “Guided Endodontics”

Luxation injuries and other stimuli may lead to a pulp canal obliteration (PCO). Even though the apposition of tertiary dentine is a sign of a vital pulp, in some cases root canal treatment is indicated in the long term due to apical periodontitis or pulpitis. Depending on the extent of PCO, root canal treatment may be challenging even for experienced and well-equipped endodontic specialists. The ‘guided endodontics’ (GE) technique was introduced 10 years ago as an alternative to conventional access cavity preparation for teeth with PCO and apical pathosis or irreversible pulpitis. Using three-dimensional radiological imaging such as conebeam computed tomography and a digital surface scan, an optimal access to the orifice of the calcified root canal can be planned virtually with appropriate software. GE is implemented either with the help of templates analogous to guided implantology (= static navigation) or by means of dynamic navigation based on a camera-marker system. GE has emerged as a field of research in the last years with very promising laboratory-based results
regarding the accuracy of guided endodontic access cavities for both static and dynamic
navigation.

In addition to the indication, this lecture describes the exact procedure using clinical examples and provides an outlook for the future.