Knowledge and attitudes of dental clinicians regarding light-curing units in northern Turkey

Abstract

Background and Aim: Different types of light-curing units have been used for the polymerization of resin-based materials, however, dental clinicians’ knowledge and attitudes regarding light-curing units and materials science have been the focus of limited studies so far. This study aimed to evaluate the knowledge and attitudes regarding light-curing units and materials science among dental clinicians in Northern Turkey. Materials and Methods: A survey questionnaire was sent by email to 448 dental clinicians, who were asked to provide demographic information and respond to questions on their knowledge and attitudes regarding current LCUs and materials science. Chi-square tests were used to identify the differences in responses for different variables. Results: A total of 184 questionnaires were responded, which corresponds to a rate of 41%. All of the respondents were the ones who had already used resin-based composite materials. 41% (n=75) of the respondents preferred LED units. Although 102 (55%) of the respondents had access to LCUs that offered various options for irradiation, 82 (53%) of them used the conventional mode. Neither of the variables examined (specialization, years of professional experience) were found to have a statistically significant effect on the number of correct responses regarding LCUs and materials science (p> 0.05). Conclusion: The results of this study demonstrated that the knowledge of dentists on materials science and LCUs was poor. Therefore, materials science and LCUs educational programs for dentists are needed. © 2016, Hacettepe Universitesi Yerbilmleri. All rights reserved.