BACK

The American Association of Endodontics (AAE) is the ONLY American Dental Association (ADA) approved and accredited endodontic board. While the AAE has no enforcement power, the dental community looks to the AAE to set standards for endodontic care. An endodontist is a dentist specially trained in root canal procedures. They, like most general dentists, use the widely accepted root canal material, gutta percha. The FDA considers gutta percha generally safe an effective. It is an inert material which before becoming synthetically produced, was made from various types of tree sap.

The AAE, over the years, has received numerous complaints about patient damages from the use of Sargenti Paste. Since 1991, they have taken a strong position on this material in a position paper published on their web site denouncing it's use. Very recently the AAE, voted to encourage endodontic residency program directors to encourage their residents to conduct research on N2 and RC2B. We will provide more information about this research as it becomes available.

Any general dentist performing root canal procedures is expected to operate at the specialty guidelines, thus following the standards and rules set out by the AAE. Dentists who use Sargenti Paste and any other (para)formaldehyde containing root canal material are not operating at the specialty level of the AAE. Therefore, they are operating below the standard of care and need to be reported to their state dental boards.

BACK