• D Sonntag, R Bärwald, M Hülsmann, and V Stachniss.
• Department of Operative Dentistry, Philipps-University, Marburg, Germany. sonntag@staff.uni-marburg.de
• Int Endod J. 2008 Oct 1;41(10):863-8.

AimTo evaluate the state and level of pre-clinical endodontic education in German dental schools and to evaluate differences with regard to intensity and extent of teaching, time devoted to teaching pre-clinical endodontics, personnel resources in teaching and technical equipment.MethodologyTwenty-eight questionnaires were e-mailed to those in charge of pre-clinical endodontic education in German dental schools. The extent of education, the student-teacher ratio, the teaching content as well as the application of teaching materials and technologies were asked. If, after 4 weeks, no response had been received, the questionnaire was sent out by e-mail again. In the absence of a reply, a phone call was made to the corresponding university to conduct the survey by phone.ResultsWith feedback from 27 of 28 dental schools, the response rate was 96%. Pre-clinical endodontic education at German universities varied considerably. Theory classes ranged from 5 to 30 h (13.3 h mean), practical classes from 12.5 to 60 h (45.4 h mean). The student to staff ratio varied between 9 : 1 and 30 : 1 (16 : 1 mean). Forty-eight per cent of the universities had a specialist in endodontics or a teacher with a special interest. A dental microscope was available for pre-clinical teaching purposes in 38% of the universities. The majority (63%) of universities taught root canal preparation with rotary nickel titanium instruments.ConclusionPre-clinical endodontic education varied considerably between German universities because of differences in programme design, staff and course content.

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