Endodontic Retreatment vs Implants: A Comparative Review of Success Rates and Complications

Aim and background: In endodontic cases, complications arise even after meticulously following standard protocols of root canal treatment (RCT).And when such complications happen, the clinician often opt for a conservative approach by doing re-root canal treatment (Re-RCT) or endodontic re-treatments.While this option is ethically correct and clinically considerate, endodontic retreatment has unique challenges which affect the prognosis of the treatment.Evidence suggests that the endodontics retreatments have less success rate and poses many critical complications compared to the other alternate options like extraction and rehabilitation.This review aims to evaluate the causative factors for failures in root canal therapy, explore various retreatment techniques, and compare their prognosis with other modalities.Methodology: For this article, peer-reviewed literature from PubMed and other scientific databases was considered over the past 10 years. Results:The results indicate that the endodontic retreatment does offer resolution and preservation of the natural tooth, but it has a less longterm prognosis compared to that of extraction followed by rehabilitation.Conclusion: Nonsurgical retreatment is a useful treatment option.However, clinicians should proceed with utmost caution and consider surgical retreatment when conservative options are either contraindicated or unlikely to yield a favorable outcome.Clinical significance: The choice to opt for endodontic retreatment must be made, guided by a holistic understanding of contributing factors, which are patient-specific, tooth-specific, and other technical considerations.