The Awareness Level of Senior Dental Students on the Principles of Proper Prescription of Various Dental Radiographic Techniques and Related Factors

Background and Aims: Radiography is one of the most important paraclinical methods for an accurate diagnosis and treatment plan selection in dentistry.This study aims to assess the level of awareness among final-year dental students about the principles of prescribing the appropriate radiographic techniques and related factors in the year 2021. Materials and Methods:In this descriptive-analytical study conducted cross-sectionally, a total of 79 final-year dental students participated.A two-part questionnaire was designed according to previous studies and reference books.It consisted of a first section with demographic variables, students' grades in Radiology Theory 1 and 2, and Diagnostic Radiology 4, and a second section consisting of 20 questions to evaluate students' awareness.The validity of the questionnaire was confirmed by experts according to the content validity index higher than 0.79 and content validity reliability of 0.62.Pearson correlation coefficient and regression test were used for data analysis .Results: The mean age of the students was 25.16 1.83 years.The average awareness score was 13.85 2.07 out of 20, with a minimum and maximum of 9 and 18, respectively.A positive and significant correlation was observed between the grades in Radiology Theory 1 (r=0.24,p=0.019),Radiology Theory 2 (r=0.28,p=0.011),Diagnostic Radiology 4 (r=0.25,p=0.023), and the average awareness score of the students.With each year increase in age, a significant decrease in awareness level by 0.32 was observed (p=0.010). Conclusion:In this study, the level of awareness among final-year dental students about the principles of prescribing appropriate radiographic techniques in dentistry was evaluated as moderate to low, indicating the need for intervention through changes in the type of education.