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46 I _Endodontics provides an important founda- tion for long-term and lasting tooth preservation. In light of an ageing society, this dental discipline is in- creasingly gaining importance. With evidence-based successratesofupto85 percentfortreatmentsper- formed lege artis, endodontics has long been estab- lished in the range of therapies offered by general dentists, while at the same time offering a variety of tasks for specialists. According to Dr Martin Rickert, Chairperson of the Board of the Association of Ger- man Dental Manufacturers (VDDI), “The impressive scientific and technological progress in the field of endodontics has improved the odds of long-term toothretentiontremendouslyandputsthisspeciality at the centre of a prophylactic-conservationist ap- proach to dentistry.” The latest methods employed in conservation therapy include manual and automatic root-canal preparation, efficient rinsing methods during disinfection, and modern instruments and materialsforobturation.Today,eventhetreatmentof anteriorteethwithfracturedcrownsandrootsispos- sible through the use of advanced fiberpostsystems, amongstothertechniques.Additionally,ifroot-canal revision should become necessary, endodontic spe- cialists have a range of minimally invasive microsur- gical treatment options available to them, including the treatment of complex endo-periodontal lesions. The many years of intense collaboration between a large number of specialists and companies in the dental industry have resulted in the well-engineered instruments and material systems available today that increase accuracy of diagnosis and, above all, improve treatment of root-canal lesions. Modern imaging techniques, for example, allow the precise visualisation of the root canal and thus enable both endometry up to the apex and the exact determina- tion of the file position during preparation. Digital X-rays and digital volumetric tomography are also becoming increasingly important. Moreover, high- roots4_2010 Endodontics: Acentral theme of IDS 2011 I meetings _ IDS 2011