Knowledge, attitude and practice toward using dental magnification

Abstract

Objectives: Dentistry is not only an evolving science but also an art with good eye-hand coordination. A variety of magnification devices are used in dentistry to increase the clarity and accuracy of examinations and surgeries. The purpose of this study is to evaluate knowledge, attitude and practice toward using dental magnification among dental residents and dental professors.
 Material and methods: In this cross-sectional descriptive study, all professors and residents were studied by census. A questionnaire was administered to the clinical faculty to assess three parameters: knowledge, attitudes and practice of magnification devices among dental residents and masters. The questionnaire consisted of 4 parts: demographic information, knowledge (11 questions), attitude (7 questions), and practice (4 questions). Data were analyzed by SPSS 23 statistical software and analyzed by T-tests and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Chi-Square.
 Main results: A total of 81 dentists completed the research questionnaire, of which 50 (61.7%) were male and 31 (38.3%) were female. Most dentists answered knowledge questions about depth and field of view changes with increasing magnification and the ability to adjust eye convergence under a microscope (74.1%). Also, the results of ANOVA statistical test did not show a significant difference between the scores of dentists' attitudes according to the field of specialization.
 Conclusions: Although the skill of dentists was acceptable at using magnifying devices, they had little knowledge about the importance of this issue. The most important reasons were mentioned lack of access and high cost of using these devices.