Knowledge, Attitude and Practice on Denture Magnets Among Dental Practitioners

Abstract

Aim: The aim of the study is to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice on denture magnets among dental practitioners. Background: Magnetic attachments are widely used for prosthodontic treatment in contemporary dentistry. In comparison to conventional attachments utilizing mechanical friction, their advantages include the lack of visible metal frameworks, simplified tooth preparation, and less traumatic lateral forces. Materials and method: The questionnaire was self-formulated and was delivered by hand and collected on completion. The medium of answering the questionnaire was English. All the responses were kept anonymous. The questionnaire contained 15 questions which were framed in order to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice on denture magnets among dental practitioners. The questions were related to types of denture adhesives, constituents of denture magnets, their advantages, disadvantages etc,. 100 dental practitioners were randomly selected to complete the questionnaire. The responses to each of the questions were entered in Microsoft excel sheet and summarized through pie chart. Results:The number of females participated in the study was 57% and the number of males participated was 43%.50% of the participants were aware that both mechanical and magnetic attachments to over-denture was available. 42% of the participants prescribe denture adhesives sometimes to their patient, and 38% prescribe denture adhesives to their patients on a regular basis. 82% of the participants never used denture magnets in their practice. 39% of the participants denture magnets reduce the lateral force on the adjacent abutment which they considered as the major advantage of using denture magnets. 44% of the participants selected conventional complete denture as the better option where denture magnets can be used. 33% of the participants denture magnets when used as denture adhesives provide psychological comfort to the patients more than providing increased retention and fitness. Conclusion: This study shows that the dental practitioners have a fairly good knowledge about the denture magnets used as denture adhesives. They are aware about the advantages and disadvantages to a good extent which may help them in using denture magnets in their regular practice. Also Magnet-retained over-denture preserving natural abutment teeth has better proprioception and satisfaction, and also is psychologically beneficial as the patient need not undergo extraction and hence can be used widely in future since the use of magnetic attachment system has started to increase recently.