Attitudes of Senior Dental Students of Al Quds University towards Placement of Restorative Materials in Posterior Teeth

摘要

The aim of this article is to assess the attitude of senior dental students of college of dentistry, Al Quds University towards placement of direct restorative materials in posterior teeth. Amalgam is used conventionally in restoration of posterior teeth while the use of resin composites is on rise for the same purpose. The esthetic concern of the patients and safety concerns about use of amalgam are changing the conventional trends of posterior teeth restoration. Some dental schools have even declined the use of amalgam in their institutions. But the properties of amalgam such as its high strength and less wear over a period of time are still making it the best alternative for the posterior teeth restoration. This study was conducted to evaluate the attitude of the dental students towards the use of amalgam and resin composites in restoration of posterior teeth. A 20 items online questionnaire was sent to 82 fifth year dentistry students of Al Quds University. Out of them 69 students responded with a response rate of 84.1%. The questions involve influences of various factors on the choice of material for posterior teeth restoration. The size of the cavity is found to have almost equal influence in both the cases. Esthetic demand and patient’s choice also affect the choice of material strongly. Age of the patient doesn’t seem to affect much on the material choice. Moisture control was found critical in case of composite restoration. Patient’s pregnancy seems to strongly influence in case of amalgam restoration due to the safety concerns regarding the same. As per this study, the students seem to choose both the materials equally depending upon the case scenario.