Abstract
A postal questionnaire was sent to a 10% (n = 444) national random sample of Dutch dental practitioners. The response was 77% (n = 344). The practitioners prescribed bitewings on average for 57% of "new" 25-yr-old patients. Five significant (P less than 0.05) variables explained 24% of the variation in bitewing prescribing for these "new" patients. These were, in declining level of importance: the initial dental condition of the patient, the proportion of restorative treatment decisions based solely on radiographs, the level of urbanization of the practice location, the technical level of the practice equipment and the importance attached by dentists to the diagnostic use of dental floss for interproximal caries diagnosis. The low power of the regression model in explaining variation in the decision to take bitewings indicates an idiosyncratic use of bitewing radiographs for caries diagnosis. A weak tendency to adopt different diagnostic sets of procedures was demonstrated.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.