Root Canal Safety Fact Sheet – Updated 2026

Root canal misinformation isn’t going away—but the evidence against it continues to grow stronger.
The AAE has updated its Root Canal Safety Fact Sheet, giving members a timely, evidence-based resource to help address patient questions and misinformation about the safety of endodontic treatment.
The updated fact sheet reinforces decades of research contradicting the long-discredited “focal infection theory” and addresses the continued spread of root canal misinformation on social media. It also expands the conversation with emerging research examining the relationship between endodontic infection, treatment and systemic health.