Rubber Dam Usage Research Articles

Effect of the Pandemic on the Frequency of Rubber-dam Use by Dentists: A Questionnaire Study

Aim: This study aimed to compare the frequency of rubber-dam usage by dentists in different specialties before and after the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Materials and Method: A questionnaire was delivered electronically to dentists in different specialties during May 2021. This questionnaire included questions about the demographics and professional backgrounds of the dentists and their opinions about and the frequencies of use of the rubber-dam. Additionally, whether their rubber-dam usage approaches were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic was also questioned. Results: Seven hundred and fifty people responded to the questionnaire. Among the participants, 36.4% said that the frequency of using rubber-dams increased after the pandemic. Regardless of the specialty, the frequency of using rubber-dams decreased as the years of professional experience increased (P < 0.05). When specialties were considered, endodontists used rubber-dams during endodontic and restorative procedures significantly more often than the others (P < 0.05). When the workplaces were compared, it was seen that rubber-dams were used significantly more often in university clinics (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Despite the quality guideline recommendations, the use of rubber dams is still not at the desired level in Turkey; however, there has been an increase in the number of dentists using them since the pandemic.

Barriers in Rubber Dam Isolation Behaviour of Dental Students During Adhesive Restorative Treatments: A Cross-Sectional Study.

There are unfavorable opinions connected with rubber dam isolation amongst dental students during adhesive restorative treatments. The aim of this study was to investigate the various barriers to practicing rubber dam isolation during dental procedures and provide necessary insight towards implementation of rubber dam among undergraduate dental students in Jazan. A pre-validated questionnaire in English entitled Rubber Dam Isolation Survey (E-RDIS) based on the Capability Opportunity Motivation-Behaviour (COM-B) model of behavioral change wheel was responded by 226 university dental students. The satisfaction of training was highest among sixth year students (Mean=3.57, p<0.001). Fourth year dental students scored higher in the capability (Mean=3.18) and were more highly motivated to use rubber dams (Mean=4.21). Third year students were more likely to use rubber dams in anterior teeth (Mean=3.52) whereas fourth year students use rubber dam in posterior teeth (Mean=3.74). Lack of motivation was found to be the significant barrier influencing rubber dam usage (odds ratio (OR)=12.1; 3.74, p<0.05). The satisfaction with training differed among the students of different years. The rubber dam technique might be used more frequently if it were made clear to students that mastering it would be necessary for them to receive good grades.

Can patient gender, ethnicity, and socioeconomics affect their attitude toward rubber dam? A cross-sectional study

Introduction: Using rubber dam (RD) is essential during restorative and endodontic procedures. It aids in avoiding instrument or restorative material aspiration and helps the operator in achieving a clean and dry operating site. This study aimed to determine patient attitudes toward the use of RD in a Malaysian subpopulation based on their gender, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status (household income and educational level). Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional questionnaire-based study conducted on the east-coast patient population of Malaysia, receiving restorative and endodontic treatments with a RD at the undergraduate dental clinics of the School of Dental Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia. Data were statistically analyzed. Results: A total of 106 patients participated and answered the questionnaire based on their satisfaction with RD use. Randomized convenience sampling was done. The satisfaction levels with the use of RD were not significantly different among males and females. However, satisfaction levels were found to be statistically significant based on the level of comfort of different ethnic groups (P = 0.001) and recommendation to friends or relatives (P = 0.004). Satisfaction with RD usage based on level of education was also reported as statistically significant (P = 0.006). There was a statistically significant association between patients’ satisfaction on preference and recommendation to their friends or relatives (P = 0.005) based on household income. Conclusion: A patient who was well-educated and earned a reasonable income was more satisfied and prone to accepting and recommending RD usage.

Assessment of Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Rubber Dam Usage among Dental Practitioners in Tamil Nadu after COVID-19: A Questionnaire-based Cross-sectional Study

Assessment of Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Rubber Dam Usage among Dental Practitioners in Tamil Nadu after COVID-19: A Questionnaire-based Cross-sectional Study

THE PREVALENCE OF RUBBER DAM AMONG DENTISTS IN DIFFERENT COUNTRIES.

The aim: To assess the actual prevalence of rubber dam usage among general dentists. Materials and methods: Surveyed participants were offered a questionnaire containing 14 questions about gender, country of origin, clinical experience, time and place of acquisition of skills of rubber dam, as well as the frequency of its usage. Results: 30.69% of dentists always use rubber dams for direct restorations; 74.26% always use rubber dams during root canals treatment; 36.3% always use rubber dam for bonding indirect restorations. Conclusions: The prevalence of rubber usage among general dentists shows positive growth dynamics, but the frequency is still considered insufficient.

Rubber dam isolation for restorative treatment in dental patients.

The effective control of moisture and microbes is necessary for the success of restoration procedures. The rubber dam, as an isolation method, has been widely used in dental restorative treatments. The effects of rubber dam usage on the longevity and quality of dental restorations still require evidence-based discussion. This review compares the effects of rubber dam with other isolation methods in dental restorative treatments. This is an update of the Cochrane Review first published in 2016. To assess the effects of rubber dam isolation compared with other types of isolation used for direct and indirect restorative treatments in dental patients. Cochrane Oral Health's Information specialist searched the following electronic databases: Cochrane Oral Health's Trials Register (searched 13 January 2021), Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL; 2020, Issue 12) in the Cochrane Library (searched 13 January 2021), MEDLINE Ovid (1946 to 13 January 2021), Embase Ovid (1980 to 13 January 2021), LILACS BIREME Virtual Health Library (Latin American and Caribbean Health Science Information database; 1982 to 13 January 2021), and SciELO BIREME Virtual Health Library (1998 to 13 January 2021). We also searched Chinese BioMedical Literature Database (CBM, in Chinese) (1978 to 13 January 2021), VIP database (in Chinese) (1989 to 13 January 2021), and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI, in Chinese) (1994 to 13 January 2021). We searched ClinicalTrials.gov and the World Health Organization International Clinical Trials Registry Platform, OpenGrey, and Sciencepaper Online (in Chinese) for ongoing trials. There were no restrictions on the language or date of publication when searching the electronic databases. We included randomised controlled trials (including split-mouth trials) over one month in length assessing the effects of rubber dam compared with alternative isolation methods for dental restorative treatments. Two review authors independently screened the results of the electronic searches, extracted data, and assessed the risk of bias of the included studies. Disagreement was resolved by discussion. We strictly followed Cochrane's statistical guidelines and assessed the certainty of the evidence using GRADE. We included six studies conducted worldwide between 2010 and 2015 involving a total of 1342 participants (of which 233 participants were lost to follow-up). All the included studies were at high risk of bias. Five studies compared rubber dam with traditional cotton rolls isolation. One study was excluded from the analysis due to inconsistencies in the presented data. Of the four remaining trials, three reported survival rates of the restorations with a minimum follow-up of six months. Pooled results from two studies involving 192 participants indicated that the use of rubber dam isolation may increase the survival rates of direct composite restorations of non-carious cervical lesions (NCCLs) at six months (odds ratio (OR) 2.29, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.05 to 4.99; low-certainty evidence). However, the use of rubber dam in NCCLs composite restorations may have little to no effect on the survival rates of the restorations compared to cotton rolls at 12 months (OR 1.38, 95% CI 0.45 to 4.28; 1 study, 30 participants; very low-certainty evidence) and at 18 months (OR 1.00, 95% CI 0.45 to 2.25; 1 study, 30 participants; very low-certainty evidence) but the evidence is very uncertain. At 24 months, the use of rubber dam may decrease the risk of failure of the restorations in children undergoing proximal atraumatic restorative treatment in primary molars but the evidence is very uncertain (hazard ratio (HR) 0.80, 95% CI 0.66 to 0.97; 1 study, 559 participants; very low-certainty evidence). None of the included studies mentioned adverse effects or reported the direct cost of the treatment. This review found some low-certainty evidence that the use of rubber dam in dental direct restorative treatments may lead to a lower failure rate of the restorations compared with cotton roll usage after six months. At other time points, the evidence is very uncertain. Further high-quality research evaluating the effects of rubber dam usage on different types of restorative treatments is required.

Knowledge and practice of rubber dam usage among dental practitioners

Background: The purpose of the present study is to determine the rubber dam usage among dental practitioners, specifically focusing on endodontic treatment, evaluate the problems they encountered, and gather information about their prospective presumptions about using it in future. Aim: The aim of this study is to evaluate the information regarding the use of rubber dam among dental practitioners. Materials and Methods: The usage of rubber dam use has been quantified based on the questionnaires which were distributed to dental practitioners. Questions were asked about areas where the practitioners used rubber dam, its advantages and difficulties, and whether they agreed or disagreed with some aspects of the rubber dam. The questionnaire was then collected and evaluated. Descriptive statistics were calculated. Results: About 78% of the dental practitioners have adequate and satisfactory education regarding the use of rubber dam. Conclusion: Rubber dam makes dentistry easier, faster, safer, and more satisfying for the operator. This research concludes that it is necessary to increase the knowledge and awareness of dental practitioners about the rubber dam and its application

Trends in Endodontic Protocols Amongst Dentists in Lahore

OBJECTIVES: To determine the trends in endodontic protocols amongst practicing dentists in teaching institutions and private clinics in Lahore. METHODOLOGY: A cross sectional survey was conducted amongst dentists working in the teaching institutions and in the private clinics of Lahore. A pre-piloted questionnaire survey adopted from Kohli et al with slight modifications was used. In this descriptive study 270 practicing dentists were selected using consecutive sampling with a 5% level of significance and margin of error. RESULTS: The 270 respondents had a mean age of 28.16 ± 6.18 participated in this study among which 111 (41.1%) were males and 159(58.9%) were females with the mean age of 30.28 ± 7.416 and 26.68 ± 4.62 respectively (12.2%) were consultants, 175(64.8%) were general dentists whereas 62(23%) were postgraduate residents. In our study population, 76(28.1%) dentists were using magnification among which 67(88.2%) were using loupes and 9(11.8%) were using microscope. The prevalence of the rubber dam usage for isolation among our respondents was 110(40.7%) only, 201(74.4%) dentists reported for routine removal of smear layer. Manual canal preparation technique was the most commonly used method practiced by 149(55.2%) dentists. 136(50.4%) dentists were using beveled needles for irrigation, whereas only 71(26.3%) were using side venting irrigation needles. Majority of the dentists (45.2%) were not using any method to increase the efficacy of the irrigants. CONCLUSION: There are deficiencies in the endodontic protocols followed by majority of the dentists in Lahore and these short comings should be addressed by governing bodies. KEYWORDS: Root canal therapy, Endodontic, Practice Patterns, Dentists HOW TO CITE: Lodhi Sk, Ehsan S, Rafique A, Saleem MN. Trends in endodontic protocols amongst dentists in Lahore. J Pak Dent Assoc 2020;29(4):239-245. DOI: https://doi.org/10.25301/JPDA.294.239 Received: 30 July 2020, Accepted: 08 September 2020

Assessment of knowledge, attitude and practice based survey towards rubber dam usage in clinical practice among undergraduate dental students

Assessment of knowledge, attitude and practice based survey towards rubber dam usage in clinical practice among undergraduate dental students

Teaching, learning and usage of Rubber Dam in Clinical Practice

Introduction: The teaching, learning and practice of rubber dam use are incorporated into dental schools' curricula all over the world. Its usage in operative dentistry and endodontics is highly recommended. Its merits include moisture control and soft tissue retraction leading to better access and visualization of teeth. It also enhances cooperation among children. However, previous studies had shown very low usage of rubber dam by post doctoral dentists. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of teaching, learning and usage of rubber dam during undergraduate studies on the frequency of use of rubber dam post-graduation.&#x0D; Materials and methods: This survey was a descriptive cross-sectional study carried out amongst dentists working with private, federal and state governments' hospitals in Lagos State. A convenient simple random sampling was used to select the participants. Newly structured self administered questionnaires were used. They were mostly closed with a few open ended questions. The questionnaires contained fifteen questions based on biodata, knowledge and usage of rubber dam in clinical practices. These were fully completed and returned by consented respondents. Data collected were analyzed by Statisitical Package for Social Science (SPSS) 20 edition. Univariate analysis was done using frequency, percentages, and chart while bivariate analysis was carried out by cross tabulation of categorical variables with Chi-square, p-value ≤0.05 was accepted as statistically significant.&#x0D; Results: The total number of respondents was 135 consisting of 50 males and 85 females. Of the 135 respondents, only 8(5.9%) routinely used rubber dam, which is in contrast to 120 (88.9%) and 127(94.1%) that had high knowledge on rubber dam and its merits respectively. Reasons for non-usage included non availability of rubber dam kit in hospital 120(94.5%) and lack of skills 11(8.7%). Test of association showed that knowledge of rubber dam system was significantly affected by age of respondents (p-value =0.001), designation (p-value=0.008) and years of experience (p-value= 0.010). In addition, use of rubber dam was significantly different based on respondents designation.&#x0D; Conclusion: The usage of rubber dam amongst dentists working with the federal and state governments in Lagos State was very low in spite of their high knowledge on its merits. Therefore, there is the need to develop a culture of rubber dam use in clinical practice amongst dentists.&#x0D;

An Evaluation of Rubber-Dam Acceptability by Dental Practitioners in RAKCODS

To evaluate the prevalence of usage and reasons why rubber-dam used and not being used as well as the patients concerns and to determine if rubber-dam does improve the quality of care or no. It was an Observational study. This study was conducted at RAKCODS clinics, UAE. A paper-based questionnaire was distributed to 120 candidate of 4th, 5th year clinical students and inters in RAKCODS clinics. The data collected were statistically analyzed. A low 26% of the responders answered that they always use rubber when compared to other studies done by National Dental Practice-Based Research Network which had 44% of practitioners always use rubber-dam. Patients who refuse the application of rubber-dam claimed that it is harder for them to breath, painful, lack of communication with the dentist and that they are terrified. A 90% of participants answered that the rubber-dam improved the success rate of the treatments. The study showed that rubber-dam usage in RAKCODS clinic is less than it should be. Hence promotion of rubber-dam usage must be done more effectively in pre-clinical. Solutions should be provided to eliminate the discomfort while using rubber-dam.

The 5-Year Survival Rate of Nonsurgical Endodontic Treatment: A Population-based Cohort Study in Korea

IntroductionThe purpose of the current population-based study was to analyze the 5-year survival rate of teeth that received nonsurgical endodontic treatment. Specifically, the variables affecting the 5-year survival rates of endodontically treated teeth were analyzed. MethodsThe present study included all endodontically treated teeth reported in 2010 in the National Health Insurance Cohort database of the Republic of Korea. By tracing the dental records of the sample to the end of 2015, the 5-year survival rates of the initial root canal treatment (RCT) and re-RCT were analyzed. Gender, age, institution type, diagnosis, arch type, tooth type, number of visits, and rubber dam usage were included in the analyses as confounding variables. ResultsIn total, 2,866,749 teeth received initial RCT, and 173,429 teeth received re-RCT. Five-year survival rates were 90.85% and 88.42%, respectively. The survival rate of teeth that received initial RCT was significantly higher than that of those that received re-RCT. Specifically, re-RCT showed a significantly higher rate of extraction within 12 months than during other intervals. Furthermore, the following characteristics significantly positively affected the 5-year tooth survival rate: being female, <20 years of age, hospital as the institution type, mandibular teeth, anterior teeth, initial RCT, and use of rubber dam. ConclusionsBecause of its high 5-year survival rate, endodontic treatment is an effective method for maintaining natural teeth.

A cross-sectional study on frequency of rubber dam usage among dentists practicing in Maharashtra, India

Introduction: Rubber dam was introduced more than 150 years ago. It has been the standard of care, especially in endodontics. In spite of its advantages, dentists still refrain from using it. Hence, the objective of this study was to investigate the frequency of rubber dam usage among dental practitioners in Maharashtra, India. Materials and Methods: It was a cross-sectional study. The questions were regarding the usage of rubber dam in their practices which was answered by the dentists. A sample size of the study was 400. Questionnaire included eight questions and the last question was open-ended. Results: Dentists using the rubber dam in their daily practice were only 23.8%. Out of which, only 4.2% dentists use it in 100% of the cases. When the reason for not using the rubber dam was asked, 40% dentists said they do not use rubber dam because its time consuming, 37% do not use it due to patient compliance, 14% responded that it is expensive, and 9% were unsure of the technique. Conclusions: The low percentage of rubber dam usage in Maharashtra is not acceptable, and dentists should follow recommended standard of care. Dental schools should make it mandatory for students to use rubber dam in root canal treatments.

Rubber Dam Usage in Dentistry: A Review

Rubber Dam Usage in Dentistry: A Review

Rubber Dam: Is it a Popular Method of Field Isolation among Dentists in Karachi?

Objective: To find out the frequency of rubber dam usage among clinical students, interns and dental practitioners and the barriers they come across to place it routinely in their practices.&#x0D; Methods: An observational cross-sectional study was performed from October 2016 to January 2017 using non-probability convenience sampling. A questionnaire was meticulously designed based on questionnaires used in similar studies in the past. The target population in this study was clinical dental students, interns and the faculty members working in various teaching institutions in Karachi and involved in general dental practice. Data from completed questionnaire was analysed using SPSS version 20.&#x0D; Results: With the healthy response rate of 81%, this study shows that the majority (76%) of clinical students, interns and practicing dentists in Karachi, Pakistan continue to ignore the rubber dam placement in their routine practices. Total 89% of non-users did not use it as they find it time con- suming and 66% of them mentioned that it is difficult to place. Couple of other reasons for which more than 50% of respondents avoid using rubber dam are frequent tearing of the sheet and patient's fear or abhorring attitude towards placement of rubber dam.&#x0D; Conclusion: This study suggests that use of rubber dam is an unpopular method for isolation of op- erative site among clinical students, interns and clinicians working in Karachi.

Rubber dam may increase the survival time of dental restorations.

Data sourcesCochrane Oral Health's Trials Register, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), Medline, Embase, LILACS, SciELO, Chinese BioMedical Literature Database, VIP, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, ClinicalTrials.gov, World Health Organization International Clinical Trials Registry Platform, OpenGrey and Sciencepaper Online databases. Handsearches in a number of journals.Study selectionRandomised controlled trials, including split-mouth studies assessing the effects of rubber dam isolation for restorative treatments in dental patients.Data extraction and synthesisTwo review authors independently screened the results of the electronic searches, extracted data and assessed the risk of bias of the included studies.ResultsFour studies involving a total of 1,270 patients were included. The studies were at high risk of bias. One trial was excluded from the analysis due to inconsistencies in the presented data. Restorations had a significantly higher survival rate in the rubber dam isolation group compared to the cotton roll isolation group at six months in participants receiving composite restorative treatment of non-carious cervical lesions (risk ratio (RR) 1.19, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.04 to 1.37, very low-quality evidence). The rubber dam group had a lower risk of failure at two years in children undergoing proximal atraumatic restorative treatment in primary molars (hazard ratio (HR) 0.80, 95% CI 0.66 to 0.97, very low-quality evidence). One trial reported limited data showing that rubber dam usage during fissure sealing might shorten the treatment time. None of the included studies mentioned adverse effects or reported the direct cost of the treatment, or the level of patient acceptance/satisfaction. There was also no evidence evaluating the effects of rubber dam usage on the quality of the restorations.ConclusionsWe found some very low-quality evidence, from single studies, suggesting that rubber dam usage in dental direct restorative treatments may lead to a lower failure rate of the restorations, compared with the failure rate for cotton roll usage. Further high quality research evaluating the effects of rubber dam usage on different types of restorative treatments is required.

Rubber dam isolation for restorative treatment in dental patients.

Successful restorations in dental patients depend largely on the effective control of moisture and microbes during the procedure. The rubber dam technique has been one of the most widely used isolation methods in dental restorative treatments. The evidence on the effects of rubber dam usage on the longevity of dental restorations is conflicting. Therefore, it is important to summarise the available evidence to determine the effects of this method. To assess the effects of rubber dam isolation compared with other types of isolation used for direct and indirect restorative treatments in dental patients. We searched the following electronic databases: Cochrane Oral Health's Trials Register (searched 17 August 2016), Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL; 2016, Issue 7) in the Cochrane Library (searched 17 August 2016), MEDLINE Ovid (1946 to 17 August 2016), Embase Ovid (1980 to 17 August 2016), LILACS BIREME Virtual Health Library (Latin American and Caribbean Health Science Information database; 1982 to 17 August 2016), SciELO BIREME Virtual Health Library (1998 to 17 August 2016), Chinese BioMedical Literature Database (CBM, in Chinese) (1978 to 30 August 2016), VIP (in Chinese) (1989 to 30 August 2016), and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI, in Chinese) (1994 to 30 August 2016). We searched ClinicalTrials.gov and the World Health Organization International Clinical Trials Registry Platform, OpenGrey and Sciencepaper Online (in Chinese) for ongoing trials. There were no restrictions on the language or date of publication when searching the electronic databases. We included randomised controlled trials (including split-mouth trials) assessing the effects of rubber dam isolation for restorative treatments in dental patients. Two review authors independently screened the results of the electronic searches, extracted data and assessed the risk of bias of the included studies. We resolved disagreement by discussion. We included four studies that analysed 1270 participants (among which 233 participants were lost to follow-up). All the included studies were at high risk of bias. We excluded one trial from the analysis due to inconsistencies in the presented data.The results indicated that dental restorations had a significantly higher survival rate in the rubber dam isolation group compared to the cotton roll isolation group at six months in participants receiving composite restorative treatment of non-carious cervical lesions (risk ratio (RR) 1.19, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.04 to 1.37, very low-quality evidence). It also showed that the rubber dam group had a lower risk of failure at two years in children undergoing proximal atraumatic restorative treatment in primary molars (hazard ratio (HR) 0.80, 95% CI 0.66 to 0.97, very low-quality evidence). One trial reported limited data showing that rubber dam usage during fissure sealing might shorten the treatment time. None of the included studies mentioned adverse effects or reported the direct cost of the treatment, or the level of patient acceptance/satisfaction. There was also no evidence evaluating the effects of rubber dam usage on the quality of the restorations. We found some very low-quality evidence, from single studies, suggesting that rubber dam usage in dental direct restorative treatments may lead to a lower failure rate of the restorations, compared with the failure rate for cotton roll usage. Further high quality research evaluating the effects of rubber dam usage on different types of restorative treatments is required.

Survey on the modalities of rubber dam usage for root canal treatment

Abstract Objectives To identify the modalities for the use of rubber dam isolation during root canal treatments (RCTs) and to explore clinicians' preferences in isolating challenging cases. Methods Ethical approval was obtained from the College of Dentistry Research Ethics Committee, Taibah University. Following two pilot studies, a final web-based questionnaire addressed the following aspects: a) respondents classification, b) usage of rubber dam c) frequencies and modalities of rubber dam usage according to teeth location, and d) management of difficult cases. The questionnaire was sent to 375 systematically selected general dental practitioners (GDPs) and 53 endodontists in the Western province of KSA. Data were analysed using the Chi-square test at p = 0.05. Results Only 21% of GDPs used rubber dam compared to 84.8% of endodontists ( p not always using a rubber dam on anterior teeth always used one on posterior teeth. The proportion of GSPs who used rubber dam during complete RCTs increased from 15.6% in anterior teeth to 27.3% in posterior teeth (p = 0.006). The highest proportion of GDPs (40.3%) used the split dam technique on conical or prepared teeth. In addition, 63.3% of GDPs rebuilt broken-down teeth. While 52.9% of endodontists used Oraseal to seal a leaking rubber dam, 77.3% of GDPs used Cavit . Conclusions Rubber dam users, especially GDPs, exercised more attention to posterior teeth compared to their anterior counterparts. Rubber dam users opted to manage difficult cases by sealing leaking rubber dam and to use the split dam technique.

An overview on rubber dam application in dental treatments

Rubber dam technique is the a method used in dentistry to isolate the operation field from the rest of mouth with rubber sheet. Rubber dam can protect both patients and dental workers effectively and provide patients with more professional, safe and comfortable experience. In recent years, this technique has gradually gained more and more recognition by dentists. However, the prevalence of using rubber dam technique in our country is still relatively low compared with those in developed countries. This condition involves many factors and need to be paid enough attention. This review summarized the current situation of rubber dam usage in various countries, the technique's application field, the effect analysis, the influencing factors and the modified products.

Frequency and Influencing Factors of Rubber Dam Usage in Tianjin: A Questionnaire Survey.

Objective. To investigate the frequency and influencing factors of rubber dam usage for endodontic procedures among general dentistry practitioners and specialized practitioners (endodontist) in Tianjin. Methods. Three hundred questionnaires were distributed among practitioners from 3 different types of medical institutions in Tianjin. Data were collected and analysed using Chi-square tests. Results. There were 63.3% of respondents who have used rubber dam (response rate 82.7%, valid response rate 76.3%). However, only 0.4% and 3.1% of them recognized using rubber dam “every time” during caries direct restoration and root canal therapy, respectively. There was no significant difference in rubber dam usage between male and female practitioners. Among the respondents, practitioners with working experience between 5 and 10 years showed the highest usage rate (76.3%), while practitioners working more than 20 years showed the lowest (53.2%). The endodontists gained the highest and the most frequent usage rate and the best rubber dam technique mastering skills. Practitioners working in those stomatological departments of general hospitals showed the lowest rubber dam usage rate. Conclusions. The prevalence of rubber dam usage in Tianjin city is still low. The practitioner's gender, years of professional experience, general or specialized field, and the type of dental setting they work for are the factors that need to be considered during making policy and executing training.