Evaluation of Awareness and Knowledge Levels of Dental Assistants on Dental Materials and Sterilization Processes

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study is to measure the knowledge level of materials and equipment for endodontics and pedodontics, as well as sterilization and disinfection procedures, of dental assistants in dental institutions and intern oral and dental health technician students studying at college. Methods: 498 people, including dental assistants working in public, private and university institutions, between the ages of 18-65, and students of the Oral and Dental Health Technician School of universities, participated in the study. A written questionnaire was applied to the participants. With the help of the survey consisting of different questions, the participants' knowledge levels about pedodontic and endodontic materials and sterilization procedures were measured. Results: The knowledge level of dental assistants about dental materials was found to be low in 5.2% of the participants, medium in 32.5% of the participants, and high in 62.3% of the participants. There isn’t any significant difference between the assistants' knowledge level and their gender (p=0.23), age group (p=0.09), educational status (p=0.41), professional experience (p=0.51), certification (p=0.39), and the institution that they work for (p=0.24). Conclusion: It was found that dental assistants have a lack of knowledge in this subject. It is thought that planning and perform regular training education programmes in terms of both acquiring new information and repeating existing information can be effective for eliminating the deficiencies of dental assistants.