Neha Naik

Background: Implant therapy is a standard of care for long-term tooth replacement. While high survival rates have been reported for implants placed by specialists, data on outcomes achieved by Advanced Education in General Dentistry (AEGD) residents remain limited. Objectives: To evaluate the clinical performance and complication rates of dental implants placed and restored by AEGD residents under faculty supervision, and to identify factors influencing outcomes after at least one year in function. Methods: A retrospective review was conducted for implants placed between April 2012 and December 2021 at the Eastman Institute for Oral Health. Only implants with ≥1-year follow-up were included. Data included demographics, medical history, smoking status, oral hygiene, peri-implant health, and prosthetic outcomes. Logistic regression was used to assess associations between risk factors and complications. Results: Among 262 implants that survived ≥1 year, the complication rate was low: screw loosening occurred in 8.4%, crown issues in 3.4%, abutment or screw fractures in 0.4%, and early peri-implantitis in 11.5%. Examiner satisfaction was high for esthetics (82.8%) and occlusion (85.9%), and over 80% of patients rated their outcomes between 8 and 10 on a 10-point scale. Diabetes and high plaque index were significant predictors of peri-implantitis. Conclusions: Implants placed and restored by AEGD residents under structured faculty supervision achieved low complication frequencies, and strong patient satisfaction comparable to specialist outcomes.

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the success rates of NSRCT performed by AEGD residents and to identify predictive factors associated with clinical outcomes and patient satisfaction. Methods: A retrospective chart review was conducted on cases treated between 2012 and 2021. Eligible cases included fully developed permanent teeth that underwent NSRCT and received a final restoration by general dentistry residents, with a minimum of 12 months of follow-up. Data collected included demographic information, medical history, clinical symptoms, radiographic findings, instrumentation, type and timing of final restorations, and patient satisfaction scores. Treatment success was defined as the absence of symptoms and either the resolution or stability of periapical radiolucency. Patient satisfaction and pain levels were also analyzed. Results: AEGD residents achieved radiographic and clinical RCT success rates of 93.3% and 91.5%, respectively. Multivariate logistic regression showed that the presence of an intact restoration was significantly associated with increased odds of tooth retention (odds ratio [OR] = 3.4, p < 0.001), while post placement in a straight root was also a significant predictor of survival (OR = 4.2, p = 0.02). Conversely, pre-existing radiolucency (OR = 0.37, p = 0.018) and the use of a metal post (OR = 0.23, p = 0.012) were significantly associated with lower odds of tooth retention. Worse periodontal health was significantly associated with increased odds of pain on percussion, with a 74.19% increase in odds per worsening category (OR = 1.74, p = 0.002). Patient satisfaction was significantly higher when restorations remained intact, with esthetic satisfaction increasing by a factor of 3.08 (OR = 3.08, p < 0.001) and functional satisfaction increasing by a factor of 3.9 (OR = 3.9, p < 0.001). Conclusions: Endodontic treatments performed by AEGD residents demonstrated high success rates and favorable patient-reported outcomes. Restoration integrity, periodontal health, and post and final restoration selection play critical roles in treatment success and patient satisfaction.