Knowledge and attitude of dental students in Riyadh City toward the effect of mouthwashes on surface roughness and color stability of some esthetic restorations

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the knowledge and attitude of dental students in Riyadh city toward the effect of mouthwash on surface roughness and color stability of some esthetic restorations. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study is directed toward dental students in Riyadh city. The inclusion criteria include both undergraduate students and interns. The exclusion criteria include postgraduate dentist and those in the preparatory year. Also, dental students outside Riyadh are excluded, A questionnaire in English language was distributed through randomized selected participants in both social media (WhatsApp, Twitter) via link in a google sheet. The survey items were divided into two sections that include socio- demographic data and knowledge subscales. RESULTS: A total of 455 dental students have filled the survey, among them 168 were excluded because they did not meet the inclusion criteria (they were preparatory year students), making the number of included responses 287. There was a significant difference between males in females when answering the questions related to 1) indication of mouthwash prescription (P = 0.044), 2) if mouthwashes increase surface roughness of esthetic restorations (P= 0.007) and 3) the type of toothbrush used with esthetic restoration (P= 0.016). CONCLUSION: there is high awareness and using of mouthwashes among dental students in Riyadh the correlation between mouthwashes and restorative materials needs more spot lightening in the dental education process.