Evaluation of the Success of Molar Root Canal Therapy for the Sustainability of Teeth in the Oral Cavity

Introduction: Root canal therapy is a treatment performed on teeth with infected (pulpitis) or dead (pulp necrosis) pulp to save the tooth to sustain in the oral cavity. Root canal therapy includes 3 main phases: preparation of the access cavity, cleaning and shaping with concurrent disinfection, and root canal obturation. These phases play an important role in determining the success of root canal therapy. Root canal therapy is successful if subjective, objective, and radiographic examinations provide good results. Objective: To evaluate the success rate of root canal therapy on molar teeth for the sustainability of teeth in the oral cavity. Methods: Descriptive research with methodology employed included subjective, objective, and radiographic examinations of 22 molar teeth that had undergone root canal therapy four years ago (in 2019), based on the criteria set by the researchers. The findings were compiled into a table and analyzed using percentages to assess the success or failure of the root canal therapy. Results: The findings from the research sample indicated that out of 22 participants, 11 experienced successful outcomes, while the remaining 11 encountered treatment failure. The study suggests that the prevalence of successful root canal therapy is higher in cases with effective root canal obturation, among female patients, and for treatments conducted on molars. Conclusions: The success rate of root canal therapy on molar teeth indicates that the percentage of treatment success is equal to the treatment failure.