Fissure sealants: Knowledge and practice of Yemeni dental practitioners

OBJECTIVES: This study was conducted to evaluate Yemeni dental practitioners' knowledge and practices concerning fissure sealants. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A modified questionnaire consisted of 25-items was distributed to 500 dentists working in Sana'a City. Descriptive statistics and Chi-square/Fisher's exact tests were used for statistical analyses. RESULTS: The response rate was 74%. Most of the respondents were male (61.3%), general practitioners (84.2%), and had <5 years of clinical experience (48.3%). The respondents showed a reasonable level of knowledge about sealants, with the majority (88%) believed that there is strong scientific evidence about fissure sealants effectiveness and around 90% showed a good understanding of sealant placement instructions. On the other hand, respondents showed insufficient knowledge about sealants clinical practice. CONCLUSION: Although a high proportion of dental practitioners showed adequate knowledge about dental sealant, following guidelines and standardized procedures in clinical practice is lacking. These emphasize the need for regular continuing education courses for dental professional.