Evaluation of General Dentistsʼ View Point of Relative Factors in Appropriate Prescription of Dental Radiographs in Yazd in 2018

Abstract

Introduction: Due to preventing unnecessary exposure to x-ray, the dentists must acquire adequate information about radiography.

Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on general dentists working in Yazd City, selected by convenience sampling method. The data were collected using a three-part questionnaire, the first part included demographic information of the dentists (age, gender, work experience, education level), and the second part contained the effective clinical findings in radiography (patient age, sex, history, radiographic costs, patient preferences, clinical observations, type of radiographic imaging system).

Results: 120 dentists with an average age of 37.38 ± 9.88 were in this study. The greatest impact factors on decision making by dentists in prescribing radiography were: surgical treatment plan (87.5%), toothache (75%), poor oral hygiene and heavily restored dentition (73.3%) and those who afraid of X-ray exposure were the least effective factors. The top radiographic choice of most of the dentists for diagnosis of occlusal caries was periapical radiograph, with 55%, even though according to the existing researches bitewing radiography would be the effective method. The top choice for the diagnosis of interdental caries was bitewing radiography with 88.3%, which matched the existing researches.

Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, it can be said that the dental community has little knowledge in the field of radiography for the diagnosis of occlusal carieshowever most of the dentists were right about diagnosing interdental caries. Therefore, it is important to hold retraining courses in order to maintain and improve the level of awareness of dentists and their familiarity with the latest radiographic techniques.