Aims: This study aims to assess the level of radiation protection among 4th and 5th-year dentistry students and assistants and to relate this level to the increasing duration of their education. Additionally, it seeks to raise awareness regarding the ionizing radiation used in dental radiography and ensure that this awareness is applied within the framework of radiation safety in their professional careers. Methods: The study included 4th- and 5th-year dentistry students as well as assistant (specialization) students from various departments. Participants were administered a questionnaire consisting of two sections; the first section included sociodemographic information, and the second section contained questions assessing knowledge of radiation protection, with 2 multiple-choice questions and 16 true-false questions. Results: A total of 218 dentistry and specialization students answered the survey questions. When asked about devices that use ionizing radiation, 62.4% of participants identified computed tomography, 57.8% identified cone beam computed tomography, while 50.9% incorrectly identified magnetic resonance, and 18.8% incorrectly identified ultrasonography. Regarding radiation protection knowledge, 93.6% of participants acknowledged that ionizing radiation is harmful to living beings.Conclusion: Based on the evaluation of the responses, assistants generally demonstrated higher levels of radiation knowledge compared to dentistry students; however, this superiority was not consistent across all items, and in some specific questions students showed better performance.
NUR et al. (Tue,) studied this question.