Bonding System Choice and Practices among Senior Dental Students

AIM AND OBJECTIVE: This survey investigated bonding system type and composite application rationale by senior dental students at a dental school in Saudi Arabia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eighty-three questionnaires with 15 open and closed questions were randomly distributed to final year dental students about the use of etch and rinse versus self-etch adhesives and application techniques for posterior resin composite. Data were collected, and statistical analysis was done using Chi-square test (0.05) with two factors “question answer” and “gender.” RESULTS: For all questions, the impact of gender was statistically nonsignificant (P > 0.05). Etch and rinse adhesive was significantly (P > 0.05) favored by students with majority do not perform selective etching, use intermittent air for drying tooth structure, apply a single layer bonding agent and thin it by air, cure it for 20 s with the curing tip at close proximity to the cavity, use incremental application technique for composite restorations, cure it for 40 s, and neglect to do extra curing. CONCLUSION: Students showed good knowledge regarding the bonding and composite application steps but with some clear mispractices such as low frequency of selective etching, less etchant washing, and the preference of vertical layering. Moreover, results from the current investigation should direct curricular updates in the future.