Govindasami Keshini, Singh Shenuka
Discipline of Public Health, School of Nursing and Public Health, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa.
Discipline of Dentistry, School of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa.
Health SA. 2025 Jul 25;30:3043. doi: 10.4102/hsag.v30i0.3043. eCollection 2025.
Dental radiography forms part of the scope and training for a diagnostic radiographer in South Africa; yet there is limited published evidence related to these professionals' knowledge, attitudes and practices on dental radiography.
This study aimed to determine the knowledge, attitudes and practices of diagnostic radiographers on dental radiography.
This study was conducted in three South African provinces, namely, KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng and the Western Cape.
This study used a cross-sectional, correlational design, using purposive and snowball sampling techniques. An online questionnaire was used for data collection, and the data were analysed using SPSS version 29.0.
A study response rate of = 207 was obtained, where 75.4% of participants agreed that they were aware of what dental radiography entails, 68.1% of participants reported not having adequate knowledge of the necessary dental radiography techniques and 72.4% of participants did not know the key anatomical positioning landmarks in dental radiography. Almost 68.6% of participants disagreed with being able to practice dental radiography techniques confidently and independently. About 87.5% of participants agreed that they are willing and keen to learn about dental radiography, and 89.9% of participants were open to gaining clinical experience in dental radiography.
There were inconsistencies in participants' dental-specific knowledge and practical skills. There was a positive attitude among participants who showed a willingness to learn dental radiography.
This study reiterates the value of investing in continuous professional development activities to address identified knowledge, attitude and practice gaps among diagnostic radiographers in dental radiography.
牙科放射摄影是南非诊断放射技师职责范围和培训内容的一部分；然而，关于这些专业人员在牙科放射摄影方面的知识、态度和实践的公开证据有限。
本研究旨在确定诊断放射技师在牙科放射摄影方面的知识、态度和实践情况。
本研究在南非的三个省份进行，即夸祖鲁 - 纳塔尔省、豪登省和西开普省。
本研究采用横断面相关设计，运用目的抽样和滚雪球抽样技术。通过在线问卷收集数据，并使用SPSS 29.0版本进行数据分析。
共获得207份研究回复，其中75.4%的参与者表示知道牙科放射摄影的内容，68.1%的参与者报告对必要的牙科放射摄影技术缺乏足够了解，72.4%的参与者不知道牙科放射摄影中的关键解剖定位标志。近68.6%的参与者不同意自己能够自信且独立地操作牙科放射摄影技术。约87.5%的参与者表示愿意并渴望学习牙科放射摄影，89.9%的参与者愿意获得牙科放射摄影的临床经验。
参与者在牙科特定知识和实践技能方面存在不一致。表现出愿意学习牙科放射摄影的参与者态度积极。
本研究重申了投资持续专业发展活动的价值，以弥补诊断放射技师在牙科放射摄影方面已发现的知识、态度和实践差距。
