Assessment of Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice among Undergraduate Dental Students about Radiation Exposure Protection for Pediatric Patients

Introduction: Compliance with the principles of radiation protection by dentists can reduce many possible risks of dental X-ray radiography on children. The present study was conducted to investigate the knowledge, attitude, and practices of dental students in School of Dentistry in Yazd City regarding the protection of children against radiation. Methods: In this descriptive-cross and sectional study, 56 undergraduate dental students in 2023 in Yazd School of Dentistry who had completed practical courses in radiography 1 and 2 participated. The data collection tool was a valid and reliable questionnaire containing basic information (gender and grade point average), 8 questions on knowledge, 5 questions on attitude, and 5 questions on practices related to radiation exposure protection. Data were analyzed using SPSS16 statistical software, Mann-Whitney, T-test, and Spearman's correlation coefficient. Results: Out of 65 target groups, 56 students filled out the questionnaire (90.3% response rate). The mean score of undergraduate dental students' knowledge of radiation exposure protection was 5.48±1.74 out of 8, their mean attitude score was 11.87±2.05 out of 20, and their mean practice score was 3.43±1.55out of 5;a direct statistical correlation was found, yet no significance existed among the average scores of knowledge, attitude, and performance of the studied students. The average score for students' knowledge, attitude, and practice based on their gender and grade point average were not statistically significant (P >0.05). Conclusion: The results of the present study indicated that the knowledge, attitude, and practice of undergraduate dental students towards protecting children from radiographic radiation was moderate. Gender and grade point average did not significantly impact students' knowledge, attitude, and practices. The students’ knowledge and attitude positively influenced their practice.