Abstract

Preventive Dentistry: Current Working Practices of Dentists From the South-Eastern Region of Romania

Cristina I. Nuca, Corneliu I. Amariei, Stelian D. Paris

To evaluate the current working practices in preventive dentistry of dentists from six Romanian districts: Constanta, Braila, Galati, Tulcea, Buzau and Vrancea (the South-East Romanian Development Region). Methods: The study was performed using a representative sample of 292 dentists (95% C.L., 5.16% sampling error); the assessment tool was a questionnaire with 42 questions, 12 of which assessed current practices in prevention. The responses to these 12 questions are reported in this paper. Results: Two hundred and seventy-three (94%) of the respondents considered that universities should offer more lectures on prevention, 207 (71%) reported that they applied topical fluorides, 260 (89%) provided instruction in oral hygiene, 220 (75%) provided fissure sealing, 83 (28%) provided sealant restorations and 278 (95%) scaled teeth. Two hundred and fifty-five (87%) dentists stated that they believed they could influence the patient