The approaches of Turkish dentists to the invasive treatment

Abstract

Aim: To research the effect of gender, workplace, and experience on the invasive treatment approaches of dentists in Turkey.

Methodology: In May 2018, 323 dentists working in Turkey participated in a survey. In the questionnaire, dentists were asked about their demographic characteristics such as gender, experience, and workplace. In addition, the invasive treatment initiation stages and the dental materials and techniques that they preferred for patients with low and high risk of caries were queried. The data obtained were analyzed using Pearson's χ² test.

Results: Gender was significantly related to the choice of invasive treatment approach for patients who have high (p=0.024) or low risk of caries (p=0.032). The experience factor was not significantly related to the choice of invasive treatment approach (p>0.05), but the workplace factor was significantly related for those with a low risk of caries (p=0.037). The selection of dental material was significantly related to the workplace factor (p<0.001), but not related to gender (p=0.359) or experience (p=0.067). The selection of the restorative technique was significantly related to experience (p=0.033), but not related to the factors of gender (p=0.132) or workplace (p=0.082).

Conclusions: To further increase minimally invasive approaches to dental treatment, authorities need to improve their health policies to reduce dentists’ workload.

How to cite this article: Hatipoğlu O, Temur KT. The approaches of Turkish dentists to the invasive treatment. Int Dent Res 2018;8(2):56-62.

Linguistic Revision: The English in this manuscript has been checked by at least two professional editors, both native speakers of English.