Aim: To evaluate the impact of rotary nickel-titanium (NiTi) instruments on undergaduate teaching and clinical use in French dental schools and to evaluate the impressions of dental students when learning and using these techniques.
Methodology: A questionnaire was mailed to all 16 French undergraduate dental schools. Data were gathered on a range of issues concerning teaching and use of NiTi endodontic techniques.
Results: The response rate was 100%. The need for teaching NiTi techniques to dental students was agreed by all schools. Lectures and laboratory courses for rotary NiTi techniques were organized in all of the schools. In 13 of the 16 teaching hospitals, students could use rotary NiTi techniques for canal preparation under the supervision of teaching staff. Similarities were observed in the majority of responses, e.g. type of rotary system taught and used clinically. Some differences were also observed, e.g. the association of hand files to rotary NiTi instruments and at what stage in the undergraduate curriculum rotary instruments were introduced.
Conclusion: There was a national consensus over the need for undergraduate teaching of rotary NiTi systems in France. These techniques had made a substantial impact in endodontic teaching and were widely taught and used in French dental schools.