Can there be any treatments for a dental fistula instead of a root canal?

Depends on cause: If the abscess and resultant fistula is coming from a necrotic nerve, you can always extract the tooth. If the problem is not from the nerve, but rather from a periodontal pocket, then you don't need root canal therapy but rather you will need periodontal treatment. Either way you need to treat it via a dentist... Sooner or later.

Antibiotics: Might clear it up for a while but it will come back when you stop taking the drug. Root canal or extraction are your only long term options.

Fistula\Sinus tract: Ninety-nine percent of the time, a fistula is related to an infected nerve of a tooth and requires either root canal therapy or extraction of the tooth. There are other causes which dictate other treatment but that is relatively rare. See: http://www.Breadentistry.Com/files/pdf/opg_den_fis.Pdf.