Attitudes of dentists toward denture adhesives: A questionnaire survey in Greece.

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM

The attitudes of dental professionals toward denture adhesives (DAs) require further investigation.

PURPOSE

The purpose of this survey was to assess the attitudes of dentists in Greece toward DAs and the possible effects of sex, age, training, and awareness level on these attitudes.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

An 18-item questionnaire in the Greek language concerning the use of DAs by dentists in the metropolitan area of Athens, Greece was distributed on line. Its URL address was emailed to 793 randomly chosen dentists in the area, 438 of whom filled out and submitted a valid questionnaire (55.2% response rate). Data for each item were statistically analyzed for their associations with sex, age, training, and awareness level by the chi-square test for independence (α=.05).

RESULTS

The results showed that 61.5% of general practitioners and 49% of specialist prosthodontists recommend the use of DAs. Their continuous use was recommended most frequently (46.9%), mainly in the cream form (93.8%). Their use was recommended not only for patients wearing older dentures (60.2%) but also for patients with newly fabricated ones (61.9%) to assist their adaptation to dentures (42.2%). Associations were found between a few only items and sex (Q07, Q11a,b), age (Q13), training (Q11q,b), and awareness level (Q11a,b,d,e) (P<.05).

CONCLUSIONS

This survey shows that in the metropolitan area of Athens, Greece, a significant proportion of dentists (60.3%) recommend the use of DAs and do so more often as a continuous regimen for both existing and new denture wearers. Sex, age, training, and awareness level proved to be factors affecting only a few dentists' attitudes.