The PIP Study is looking at alternative ways to treat toothache and tooth decay.
Severe toothache and pain can be caused by tooth decay. Tooth decay is very common and treating decay costs the NHS over £3.4 billion each year. Where the tooth decay has spread deep into the nerve, this is usually treated by taking out the tooth or by Root Canal Treatment. Root canal treatment removes all the nerve from the tooth.
An alternative treatment for this kind of toothache is called a Pulpotomy. A Pulpotomy removes only the damaged part of the nerve, which can be a quicker and less invasive treatment.
We are recruiting dental practices in England and Scotland. For more information about taking part in the PIP Study please contact PIP-Study@dundee.ac.uk or click on the following link / QR code to complete the Site Initiation Questionnaire (SIQ), this will take no more than 10-15 minutes.
The PIP Study are recruiting NHS dental practices and participants in England (London and Liverpool) and Scotland.
If you would like more information about what is involved, please get in touch.
Our study email address is PIP-Study@dundee.ac.uk
The PIP Study
The PIP study will compare the effectiveness of Full Pulpotomy and Root Canal Treatment for Irreversible Pulpitis in permanent premolar and molar teeth in adults. The study will take place in primary care dental practices across Scotland and England.
PIP Study
We will recruit 530 patient participants from 50 general dental practices in Scotland and England. We are looking for dental practices to recruit 11 adult patients (16 years and older) seeking treatment at NHS dental practices with symptoms indicative of Irreversible Pulpitis in a premolar/molar tooth with deep caries and or a deep restoration.
The patient must be willing to be randomly allocated (computer generated) to one of the two study groups – Full Pulpotomy or Root Canal Treatment.
The PIP Study will take place over 12 months and patient participants will be followed up by the PIP Study Team in Dundee at 7 days and then again by GDP at 1 year after treatment. Link to PIP Flyer
The NHS National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment programme has commissioned a collaborative team from the Universities of Dundee, Aberdeen, Glasgow, King's College London, Liverpool, Sheffield, and NHS Education for Scotland to conduct this research.
If you are interested in being involved in this primary care research study, or would like further details, please contact us to arrange a short briefing to answer any questions you may have about involvement with PIP.
Contact the team: PIP-Study@dundee.ac.uk
Are you interested in joining a Patient & Public Involvement Group? Members of the public are being invited to help support the PIP & SCRiPT Dental Research Studies, you can find more information about joining the group here and here. If you would like to express an interest in joining the PPI Group, please click the following link https://forms.office.com/r/jNmpuBRN00 / QR code to complete the PPI Group Expressions of Interest Form, this will take no more than 5 minutes to complete, thank you.
Funding acknowledgement
Professors Clarkson and Ramsay are funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) HTA for this research project.
Visit the NIHR website (NIHR HTA ref: NIHR129230).
Trial Sponsor: University of Dundee