Knowledge about dentin hypersensitivity: A questionnaire-based survey among dental students and young dentists

Abstract

Introduction Continued education is a fundamental characteristic of one’s working life, especially in the medical field. Keeping up to date should be a mandatory element of dental practice. Dentin hypersensitivity (DH) has been a long-term significant challenge for practitioners due to the uncertainties around its diagnosis and treatment. The aim of this study is to assess the knowledge of senior dental students and young doctors with respect to this dental pathology. Methodology A total of 632 self-administered questionnaire were distributed to dental students and doctors for data collection. The 10 questions investigated the knowledge about the description of pain in DH, triggering and predisposing factors, treatment strategies, preventive and treatment measures, remineralization products, etiological factors of dental wear, and main characteristics of DH. The data were analyzed using SPSS 20.0. Standard descriptive statistics were computed and analytical statistical analysis was performed using Pearson’s chi-square test. Results The response rate for dental students was 87.87% and 10.2% for young doctors. Most respondents revealed a good level of knowledge regarding pain characterization, triggering factors, and predisposing factors of dentin hypersensitivity, and a satisfactory level for the disease management strategies. The average score of the questionnaire recorded at group level was 42.253. Conclusion Young dentists had better knowledge of DH compared to 6th-year dental students. The information obtained from this study revealed that there is a need to provide better theoretical but also clinical teaching opportunities to students, as well as continued educational programs to young doctors.