Evaluation of awareness among dentists about magnetic resonance imaging and their interactions with restorative dental materials: A survey among dentists in three districts of Tamilnadu

Introduction: Patients with dental restorations may require magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the head and neck, to assess the progress of diseases or to determine the cause of any subsequent symptoms, or for a purpose unrelated to the dental restorations. This may cause distortion of the images or the dislodgement of the prosthesis which thereby can cause injury to the adjacent tissues. Objectives: The objective of this study was to evaluate the awareness among dentists in three districts of Tamilnadu, regarding the interaction between restorative dental materials and MRI. Material and Methods : A questionnaire was designed to obtain information about materials used by dentists in treating their patients and their effect on MRI and vice versa, and to determine the perceptions of respondent dental practitioners. The study population included all dentists in three districts of Tamilnadu, India ( n = 354). Data were collected using a semistructured questionnaire on sociodemographic characteristics, knowledge and practice of dentists, materials they use for restoration, etc. The data was analyzed using SPSS. Results: The questionnaire was provided to 354 dentists and 101 (28%) responded. Out of them 49.5% dentists did not know the type of alloy their lab technician was using for fabrication of metal crowns and fixed partial dentures; 27% of dentists never used all ceramic crowns; 63.4% of dentists perceived that dental materials can produce artifact in MR, and among them 36.6% did not have any idea of how to prevent it. Conclusion: Continuing dental education programs about these interactions are required to improve the knowledge of dentists. The syllabus of dental course should include magnetic property of materials and its interactions with diagnostic procedures like MRI and CT.