Use of dental lasers among teaching faculty of private dental colleges in Chennai – A questionnaire-based cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background: Lasers were developed with the hope of overcoming some of the drawbacks posed by conventional methods of dental procedures. Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practices of lasers among teaching faculty of private dental colleges in Chennai. Materials and Methods: The cross-sectional survey was conducted among teaching faculty of several private dental colleges in Chennai. The self-administered validated questionnaire consisting of 15 questions regarding the dental lasers was designed and answered by 150 teaching faculty. Pearson Chi-square test was used for statistical analysis. Results: Overall, 126 (84%) responded that lasers should be the part of undergraduate curriculum and 131 (87.3%) felt that cost factor is the main reason for not using lasers in dentistry. Conclusion: Most of the dental faculty felt that they have sufficient knowledge about lasers and hands-on courses in continuous dental education (CDE) program will be the efficient method to gain knowledge about dental lasers.