Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 Jul 1;25(1):963.
doi: 10.1186/s12903-025-06340-4.

Exploring dentists' experiences of endodontic file fracture during root canal treatment: a phenomenological study

Mohammad Rastegar Khosravi  1 , Zhina Banafshi  2 , Rayan Ebrahimi  3 , Rostam Jalali  4
Affiliations

Exploring dentists' experiences of endodontic file fracture during root canal treatment: a phenomenological study

Mohammad Rastegar Khosravi et al. BMC Oral Health. .

Abstract

Objectives: File fracture represents a common and occasionally unavoidable occurrence during root canal procedures, carrying substantial negative implications for dental practitioners. This study explores dentists' encounters with file fracture incidents during root canal treatment.

Methods: In this qualitative study using a phenomenological approach, 13 dentists were included through purposive sampling. The sampling continued until data saturation and semi-structured in-depth interviews were used to collect data. The 7-step Colaizzi approach was employed to analyze the collected data, and Lincoln and Guba's criteria were used to ensure data credibility.

Results: The participant cohort comprised eight male and five female dentists, boasting an average of 10.15 ± 5.35 years of professional experience and an average age of 36.53 ± 6.35 years. Data segmentation revealed four themes alongside 18 sub-themes. These themes encompassed the fear of consequences, professional impasse, Integration decline, and the dilemma between moral and immoral decision-making.

Conclusion: The experiences of dentists during file fracture showed Fear of Consequences, Professional Impasse, Integration Decline, and the Dilemma between Moral and Immoral Decision-Making. File fracture episodes are distressing and taxing for dentists, harboring significant personal and professional repercussions. Such incidents precipitate emotional strain, compromise treatment efficacy, tarnish professional standing and identity, result in financial setbacks, and contribute to professional burnout. Consequently, policymakers must implement several measures, including strengthening legal and insurance protections, establishing secure reporting systems, developing a comprehensive, standardized, and practical document by the endodontic association, and mandating informed consent forms.

Keywords: Endodontics; Qualitative research; Root Canal therapy.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: Ethical approval for the study was obtained from the Ethics Committee of Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences (IR.KUMS.REC.1402.664). Participants were fully briefed on the study’s objectives, with assurances of confidentiality and the right to withdraw from the study at any stage. Informed written consent was obtained from all participants prior to their involvement. Consent to publication: Not applicable. Generative AI and AI-assisted technologies in the writing process: While preparing this work, the authors used Gemini (Google AI) and Chat GPT to improve language and readability. After using this tool/service, the authors reviewed and edited the content as needed and took full responsibility for the publication’s content. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Bolado E-C, Camacho-Aparicio LA. Prevalence of pulp and periapical diseases in the endodontic postgraduate program at the National autonomous university of Mexico 2014–2019. J Clin Experimental Dentistry. 2023;15(6):e470. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Karamifar K, Tondari A, Saghiri MA. Endodontic periapical lesion: an overview on the etiology, diagnosis and current treatment modalities. Eur Endodontic J. 2020;5(2):54. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Jiang J, et al. The state of the Art and future trends of root Canal files from the perspective of patent analysis: a study design. Biomed Eng Online. 2022;21(1):90. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Pedir SS, Mahran AH, Beshr K, Baroudi K. Evaluation of the factors and treatment options of separated endodontic files among dentists and undergraduate students in Riyadh area. J Clin Diagn Research: JCDR. 2016;10(3):ZC18. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Olcay K, Ataoglu H, Belli S. Evaluation of related factors in the failure of endodontically treated teeth: a cross-sectional study. J Endod. 2018;44(1):38–45. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources