A study to assess knowledge, attitude, and perception of dental practitioners on minimally invasive dentistry concepts

Abstract

Background: Minimally invasive dentistry (MID) includes caries detection using caries risk assessment (CRA), early localization of nascent carious sores including necessary and voluntary avoidance, and remineralization of demineralized veneer and dentin when diagnosed early for these reasons. Although the dentistry curriculum prioritizes the benefits of MID in tooth protection, this research is seldom included in classroom instruction. Aim: The purpose of this research was to gauge the level of understanding that dental professionals have about MID ideas. Methods: An online questionnaire measuring MID knowledge and application was used to compile the data. The Chi-square tests were run for statistical analysis in the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). Results: Just 42.2% of the dentists who replied had MID training during their undergraduate or internship years, and the majority of that training came via lectures (45.2%). The majority (almost 81%) of respondents believed that CRA should be performed on all patients. Differences in knowledge and experience with atraumatic restorative therapy and the sandwich approach for treating caries in permanent teeth and high caries risk children were shown to be statistically significant (P 0.05). Conclusion: Dentists know about the benefits of MID, but their patients are not reaping those benefits since so many dentists still use the old methods of treating complete caries.

Keywords

• caries risk assessment
• clinical practice
• minimally invasive dentistry
• questionnaire
• survey
• undergraduate teaching