Currently, an increasing number of patients with special needs are requesting conservative treatments, including endodontics or root canals. These patients sometimes have difficulty cooperating or have medical conditions that mean these types of treatments can only be performed under general anesthesia or sedation. The possibility of using these techniques expands the range of treatments we can offer our patients with special needs. In this conference, we will assess when to resort to sedation or general anesthesia techniques and what the keys to success are. It is important to evaluate the patient, the operator, and the available technical resources and equipment. Only by considering all these factors will we achieve success in our treatments. Our research and care group for patients with special needs has extensive experience that has allowed us to establish protocols for performing root canal treatments in patients with special needs, enabling us to choose the best treatment for each patient.

Berta Rivas Mundina is a highly accomplished dental professional with an extensive academic background from the University of Santiago de Compostela (USC). After earning a Bachelor of Dental Surgery in 2002and graduating in Dentistry in 2003, she completed a Master’s in Aesthetic Dentistry and Adhesion (2004–2005)and a Master’s in Advanced Endodontics (2005–2006). In 2007, they obtained the Doctor of Dental Surgerydegree. She has been an Associate Professor at USC since 2015, teaching in the Master’s Program in Advanced Endodonticssince 2010 and in the Master’s Program in Special Needs and Pediatric Dentistrysince 2019.