Knowledge and Attitude towards Atraumatic Restorative Treatment (ART) among General Dental Practitioners of Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Purpose: Atraumatic restorative treatment (ART) is a treatment technique that emphasizes maximum healthy tooth structure preservation and enamel remineralization. It has been a widely accepted technique worldwide in the management of dental caries. However, there is limited evidence data available on familiarity with ART technique amongst general dental practitioners (GDPs) of Riyadh, KSA. This study was conducted to assess the knowledge and attitude toward ART amongst GDPs of this region. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional survey-based study was conducted between March 2020 to May 2020 among GDPs of Riyadh, KSA using a self-administered validated questionnaire. The structure of the questionnaire was based on literary research. Two-hundred and seventy-four GDPs were approached to participate in this study. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 21. A Chi-square test was performed to analyze a correlation between the level of knowledge about ART and gender and time since graduation (years) with a significance level set at p ≤ 0.05. Results: A total of 199 questionnaires were observed to be legible with an overall response rate of 72.6%. More than 90% of study participants were aware of ART and the majority of them (74.9%) claimed that their knowledge regarding ART was achieved during graduation. The variables ART reduces dental anxiety, ART is not used in teeth with exposed pulp, and ART is a definitive restorative treatment that was observed as statistically different (p ≤ 0.05) concerning working experience. Whereas, Composite resins or temporary fillings can be used in ART was also found statistically different among gender (p ≤ 0.05). Conclusion: GDPs have sufficient knowledge and a positive attitude towards ART. However, GDPs lack knowledge of ART related to practicing this treatment approach in a clinical setting.