The knowledge, attitude and practice of fixed prosthodontics: A survey among Qassim dental practitioners

AIM: The aim of this study was to evaluate the knowledge, attitude and fixed prosthodontics practice guidelines amongst dental practitioners of Qassim in Saudi Arabia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional study was done amongst the Dental Practitioners of Qassim Province, Saudi Arabia in 2018. A total of 290 dentists were selected randomly (from public and private dental clinics and dental schools). A survey was conducted through printed and online questionnaire composed of 19 open and multiple-choice questions. Data from the completed questionnaires were analysed using the SPSS Statistical Software Package (version 25). All statistical analyses were carried out at a significance level of P < 0.05. Results were analysed and compared using the Chi-square test and frequency test. RESULTS: This study showed that 227 (78.3%) of the participants assessed abutment tooth radiographically, also most of them fabricated study cast before starting crown and bridge procedures 37.2% (108). The vitality test for restored abutments was always done by 132 (45.5%) respondents, and 111 (38.3%) of them used poly vinyl siloxane for making final impression, which provides the level of quality of final impression. A total of 117 (40.3%) of them always used retraction cord before making final impression. Both written prescriptions and verbal instructions were used by 209 (72.1%) of the practitioners for communication with the lab. The study revealed that there were no significant differences between males and females in answering questions 11, 13 and 17. CONCLUSION: The dental practitioners (DPs) of Qassim displayed an acceptable level of knowledge and a level of awareness of fixed prosthodontics practicing. However, to further enhance the proficiency, efforts should be made to encourage the practitioners to be aware of the advances in fixed prosthodontics practice through state-of-the-art continuous education programmes. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: As fixed prosthodontic restorative procedures are widely practiced for dental rehabilitation in Saudi Arabia, it was very important to measure and evaluate the knowledge of DPs about the details of basic steps in the field of fixed prosthodontics and the way of practicing this important branch of dentistry.