Attitudes of dentists and interns in Riyadh to the use of dental amalgam

BACKGROUND: Studies investigating the attitudes of Saudi dentists to the use of amalgam for restorations are relatively rare. Considering the goals set forth by the Minamata Convention on Mercury, it appears prudent to investigate the attitudes of experienced dentists and fresh dental graduates to the use of amalgam. The aim of this study was to assess the attitudes of Saudi dentists and interns working in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to the use of amalgam. Using a convenience sampling methodology, a total of 400 Saudi dentists and interns were contacted to request their participation in this cross-sectional questionnaire-based study. The questionnaire consisted of socio-demographic and practice characteristics such as gender, type of practice, as well as their service sector and questions related to the use of dental amalgam. The data obtained was analyzed using Chi square tests to compare differences in distribution between groups. P values of less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant. RESULTS: The overall response rate was 84% (336 of 400 potential participants). The majority of the participants (80.7%) did not use dental amalgam for restorations in their clinical practice frequently. A significantly higher number of participants working in private sector did not use amalgam frequently (P = 0.004), agreed on replacing good amalgam restoration with composite resin (P < 0.000) and on stopping the use of amalgam as a final restoration (P = 0.017) compared to participants working in public sector. A significantly higher number of interns did not use amalgam in their clinical practice frequently (P < 0.000), agreed on replacing good amalgam restoration with composite resin (P = 0.002) and on stopping the use of amalgam as a final restoration (P < 0.000) compared to dentists. CONCLUSIONS: Within the limitations of this study, dental amalgam seems to be less frequently used among the surveyed Saudi dentists and interns working in Riyadh. Fresh dental graduates used amalgam less frequently compared to experienced dentists. Furthermore, private dental practitioners showed a propensity to replace existing well-placed amalgam restorations with resin composite which reinforces their market-oriented attitude reported in earlier studies. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13104-016-2294-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.