The American Association of Endodontists (AAE) will mark its 12th annual Root Canal Awareness Week, May 6 to May 12, by offering educational resources showcasing the benefits of root canal treatment from a specialist and thanking general dentists for their referrals.
In a recent AAE survey of the public, 48% of the respondents said they would make an appointment to see their dentist if they experienced tooth pain. About half would only wait between two and six days to seek treatment, while 23% said they would seek treatment that day. These results indicate that most people want to resolve their tooth pain quickly, the AAE says, and endodontists are the clinicians best equipped to do so.
“Root Canal Awareness Week sends a powerful message about the valuable work that endodontists provide to our dental patients,” said AAE president Garry L. Meyers, DDS. “We want the public to feel more empowered to seek out a root canal specialist on their own to combat tooth pain, and we also would like to recognize the important referral relationship that exists between the general dentist and the endodontist.”
To encourage collaboration between general dentists and endodontists, the AAE offers free resources including:
- Endodontic Competency White Paper: These AAE guidelines are meant to create a context for knowledge and skill that should provide a standard for all practitioners who perform endodontic treatment.
- Case Difficulty Assessment Form: The AAE designed the Endodontic Cade Difficulty Assessment Form for use in endodontic curricula. The Assessment Form makes case selection more efficient, more consistent, and easier to document, the AAE reports.
- Treatment Options for the Compromised Tooth: A Decision Guide: This guide features different cases where the tooth has been compromised in both non-endodontically treated teeth and previously endodontically treated teeth.
- Endodontics: Colleagues for Excellence: This newsletter is published twice yearly and distributed to AAE members, general dentists, and other specialists to educate them about specific endodontic topics and spur discussions among colleagues.
- Root Canal Safety Webpage: This webpage includes AAE resources designed to help dental professionals advocate for good dental health and root canal safety.
Dental professionals are encouraged to join the conversation on social media by connecting with the AAE on Facebook and Twitter, using the #RCAW hashtag to help spread the word, and sharing Root Canal Awareness Week activities with the AAE. Posters, logos, and more information also are available at aae.org/rcaw.
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