Introduction: The purpose of this national study was to assess endodontists' opinions regarding whether endodontists should place dental implants.
Methods: A written survey was developed and mailed to 1505 randomly selected practicing endodontists within the United States.
Results: The response rate was 46%. Univariate, bivariate, and logistic regression analyses were performed. Fifty-seven percent of respondents supported endodontists placing implants. Currently 5.7% of respondents place implants. Regression analyses identified the following variables as being positively associated with endodontists placing implants: graduation from an endodontic training program >or=10 years ago (p = .002); interest in placing implants in the future (p = .0001); the belief that implant placement should be incorporated into the endodontic residency curriculum (p < .0001); the belief that general dentists would support endodontists placing implants (p < .0001); and the desire to continue the rapport with a referred patient by placing an implant if the patient's tooth is nonrestorable (p < .0001).
Conclusions: The majority of responding endodontists believed that dental implant placement is within the scope of endodontic practice. Governing bodies of the specialty of endodontics might consider discussing whether formal implant training should be incorporated into future curricula.