Aljamal Mohammad, Batakat Tala, Hamd Zuhal, Abuzaid Mohamed, Gareeballah Awadia
Department of Medical Imaging, Faculty of Allied Medical Sciences, Arab American University, P. O. Box 240, 13 Zababdeh, Jenin, Palestine.
Department of Radiological Sciences, College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, P.O. Box 84428, Riyadh 11671, Saudi Arabia.
BMC Med Educ. 2025 Jul 1;25(1):973. doi: 10.1186/s12909-025-07554-4.
Dental radiography is used extensively for diagnosing dental and maxillofacial disorders. Therefore, dental professionals must have adequate knowledge of and practice related to radiation protection and safety. The main objective of this study was to determine the degree of radiation safety knowledge among dental professionals and students in Palestine's northwest West Bank.
A cross-sectional study was conducted to evaluate radiation safety knowledge and practices among dental professionals in the West Bank, Palestine, from February to September 2023. Seven hundred fifteen participants (103 dentists and 612 dental students) completed a questionnaire with demographic information and eighteen closed-ended questions. The data were analyzed via SPSS version 27 and DATAtab, and chi-square and nonparametric tests were used to assess the relationships between variables.
A low overall knowledge level was noted (average score of 7.51 ± 2.67 out of 16). The students had a significantly higher mean rank in knowledge and practice than did the dentists (368.44 vs. 295.98, p = 0.001). Among the students, the mean ranks were higher in the 4th and 5th academic years than in the 2nd and 3rd academic years. In contrast, there were insignificant differences in the scores of knowledge and practice among dentists with different experience levels; those with more than 14 years and 5-9 years of experience had higher mean ranks than did the other dentists.
There was a lack of knowledge and practice regarding radiation protection and safety among the respondents. Students demonstrated higher knowledge scores than dentists, despite having less clinical experience, possibly due to more recent exposure to formal training in radiation protection. While there are no significant differences in knowledge among dentists of varying experience, more experienced dentists generally rank higher. To address this, raising awareness of radiation safety among dental professionals through improved curricula and ongoing training is essential. Awareness campaigns should also emphasize the importance of radiation safety for professionals and patients.
口腔放射摄影广泛应用于诊断口腔和颌面部疾病。因此，牙科专业人员必须具备与辐射防护和安全相关的足够知识并进行相关实践。本研究的主要目的是确定巴勒斯坦约旦河西岸的牙科专业人员和学生的辐射安全知识水平。
于2023年2月至9月进行了一项横断面研究，以评估巴勒斯坦约旦河西岸牙科专业人员的辐射安全知识和实践情况。715名参与者（103名牙医和612名牙科学生）完成了一份包含人口统计学信息和18个封闭式问题的问卷。数据通过SPSS 27版和DATAtab进行分析，并使用卡方检验和非参数检验来评估变量之间的关系。
总体知识水平较低（16分中平均得分为7.51±2.67）。学生在知识和实践方面的平均排名显著高于牙医（368.44对295.98，p = 0.001）。在学生中，四、五年级的平均排名高于二、三年级。相比之下，不同经验水平的牙医在知识和实践得分上没有显著差异；经验超过14年和5 - 9年的牙医平均排名高于其他牙医。
受访者在辐射防护和安全方面缺乏知识和实践。学生尽管临床经验较少，但知识得分高于牙医，这可能是因为他们最近接受了更多辐射防护方面的正规培训。虽然不同经验的牙医在知识方面没有显著差异，但经验更丰富的牙医总体排名更高。为解决这一问题，通过改进课程和持续培训提高牙科专业人员对辐射安全的认识至关重要。宣传活动还应强调辐射安全对专业人员和患者的重要性。
