Awareness and knowledge regarding dental radiology: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Introduction: Dental radiographs are an important tool for the diagnostic workup of the patient. Both basic and specialized radiographs are used in dentistry and knowledge regarding its indications and techniques is required both for undergraduate and postgraduate students, general dentists, and consultants.

Objective: Our study aimed to explore the knowledge and awareness of dental radiographs among dentists and dental students.

Materials and method: The cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted at Rehman College of Dentistry, Peshawar Pakistan from October 2022 to March 2023. The questionnaire was prepared after a literature review, validation by experts, and pilot testing. Reliability was observed to be more than 0.9 and the questionnaire was disseminated through online Google forms using convenience sampling. SPSS Version 22.0 was used for data analysis.

Results:  154 Participants were included in the study. Out of which 58 percent were females and 42 percent were males. Generally,  regarding most of the questions, specialists had the highest knowledge, while postgraduate and general dentists had a neutral ratio, and undergraduates were the least aware.

Conclusion: Despite the utmost significance of dental radiology in the diagnosis and treatment planning of the patient, it is not given its due importance. Generally, the dental fraternity lags in knowledge and awareness about the field, especially at the undergraduate level.