Evaluating Sixth-Year Dental Students’ Performance and Preference Using NiTi Rotary Systems: A Comparative Analysis of ProTaper Gold and WaveOne Gold in Educational Settings
Keywords:
dental education, nickel-titanium rotary system, procedural error, root canal preparation, student preferenceAbstract
Objective: Nickel-titanium (NiTi) rotary systems, such as ProTaper Gold (PTG) and WaveOne Gold (WOG), are widely used for root canal shaping due to their flexibility and efficiency. PTG operates in continuous rotation, while WOG uses reciprocation, potentially influencing their suitability for inexperienced operators like dental students. This study compared the performance and user preferences of PTG and WOG systems on molars among sixth-year dental students during their first experience with rotary endodontics.
Materials and Methods: A total of 98 sixth-year dental students were randomly divided into four groups using stratified randomisation based on hand instrument preparation scores. Each student prepared one maxillary and one mandibular molar using either PTG or WOG, with a randomised working sequence. Root canal preparation quality was evaluated using requirement books and radiographic analysis, focusing on procedural errors such as inadequate master apical file (MAF) size, inadequate MAF length, loss of apical stop, ledging, canal deviation, zipping, perforation, and instrument separation. Students also completed a questionnaire to evaluate their perceptions of the systems.
Results: No significant differences were observed in procedural error rates between PTG (82.7%) and WOG (88.8%). The most common error for both systems was inadequate MAF length. Students rated PTG significantly higher in controllability, with 61.2% preferring it over WOG. This preference was attributed to its ease of use, superior tactile control, and continuous rotation motion.
Conclusion: Both PTG and WOG systems demonstrated similar performance in procedural error rates during root canal preparation by novice operators in a preclinical setting. However, PTG was preferred by students due to its superior controllability, obturation ease, and higher screwing effect.
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