The percentage of those performing more than 10 RCTs thereby a month was found to be 74.7%. Another important finding is that practitioners who have been working for 5 years or less perform significantly more RCTs than those working for more years (P = 0.002). Modern endodontic instruments seem to be more accessible than was previously the case and, in addition, the teaching of new techniques and materials in dental schools might be leading new graduates to prefer endodontic treatment, rather than extraction.According to the ESE guidelines [1], RCT procedures should be carried out only when the tooth is isolated by rubber dam, on the basis of infection control and endodontic outcomes, as well as the dangers of practising without adequate oropharyngeal protection [11].

Even though the use of rubber dam is taught in every dental school and is mandatory for undergaduate students in Turkey, its use in daily dental practice is abandoned quickly after graduation. The reasons for not using rubber dam were that it is time consuming, not readily available, and expensive when available and that patients do not prefer its use. The percentage of practitioners who do not use rubber dam was found too be 91.9% regardless of the time after graduation. This finding was in accordance with other studies [3, 4, 7, 12]. The majority of dental practitioners in Turkey had difficulties finding the fourth canal in upper molars, even though it may be present in the majority of maxillary first and second molars [13]. This finding is similar to the findings of Hommez et al. [3] and Slaus and Bottenberg [4].

The low percentage of using loops and dental operating microscopes might explain why the fourth canals in upper molars were difficult to detect and treat.The reliance on the preoperative radiograph and tactile sensation to determine working length cannot be recommended in modern endodontics, because the instruments may bind against the canal walls [14], or may perforate apically, causing underfilling or overfilling. Most of the practitioners who relied on tactile sense for estimation of working length have been working for over 20 years (24.10%). This percentage decreases significantly as the years of practice decrease (P < 0.008). Radiographic evaluation is the method favoured by the majority of respondents (77.8%).

The use of an electronic apex locater to determine Dacomitinib working length has gained in popularity and is being taught at the undergraduate level in Turkey. Even though 41.1% of all respondents use electronic apex locaters, they often do so in conjunction with radiographs. This finding is in accordance with Jenkins et al. [12] and Palmer et al. [7].The standardized method of canal preparation, utilizing instruments of fixed size and taper, with the use of a single point for obturation [15], is commonly chosen by most of the older practitioners.