Evaluate Dental Students’ Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Oral Radiology within the Department of Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics

Introduction: Dentists have come to rely on X-ray imaging techniques for diagnosis, treatment and follow-up phases.This requires dentists to have sufficient knowledge and experience of radiographic safety standards.Objectives: The aim of this study is to evaluate the level of knowledge and practice within dental students with regards practicing of safety standards for oral radiology and technique of imaging.Methods: The survey was completed through a descriptive study, conducted on 111 students studying dentistry, divided into two groups according to academic level.The questionnaire was made up of multiple choice questions and was divided into three areas: principle knowledge, radiobiology/radioprotection, and technique/interpretation.The data was analyzed, the Pearson chisquare test was performed to assess the database, which yielded a significance level at P-value ≤ 0.05, and the outcomes were presented in percentages. Results:The overall percentages of correct responses for the 35 questions showed that those who studied in the last academic year had better responses comparing to responses of the first academic year students, that revealed between 63.62% correct response from final year, while 21.77% from 1 st years.It is significant to highlight that the result raises questions as for the level as well as, quality of academic knowledge that are being transferred to students before graduation.Conclusion: The survey's findings concluded that the majority of the participating dental students needed more knowledge and practice to make the most appropriate choices concerning technology, radioprotection, or best practices for limiting radiation exposure for patients during oral radiography.