Kisumbi Bernina K, Gathece Loice W, Osiro Olivia A, Maina Susan W
Department of Dental Sciences, University of Nairobi Dental Hospital, Nairobi, KEN.
Cureus. 2025 Aug 17;17(8):e90312. doi: 10.7759/cureus.90312. eCollection 2025 Aug.
Dental amalgam phase down (DAPD) has ushered in a paradigm shift towards the use of adhesive alternative restorative dental materials and dental caries prevention. The emergence of a new restorative practice model has created a gap among some dentists, highlighting the need to reorient their knowledge and skills.
The objectives of this study were to assess dentists' level of satisfaction with a DAPD training programme and identify associations between sociodemographic characteristics and satisfaction levels, in Kenya, a low- and middle-income country. Materials and methods: A three-hour online training programme was developed, and a sample of n=260 dentists was targeted. Data were collected on socio-demographic characteristics and from thirteen 5-Likert scale questions that evaluated participants' satisfaction with the aims, usefulness, methodology, content and duration of the course. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, with frequencies and proportions for categorical sociodemographic information and level of satisfaction scores, while chi-square and multivariate logistic regression were used to analyse the influence of sociodemographic information on the level of satisfaction with the statistical significance level set at p=0.05.
A total of 216 (83.1%) dentists participated and completed the online questionnaire at the end of training, which represents 28.8% of the dentists whose contact information was retrievable as of 2022. Of these, 141 (65.3%) were men, while 130 (60.2%) were aged between 20 and 40 years. The majority obtained their primary degree in Kenya (190; 88.0%) and practised restorative dentistry (187; 86.6%). The dentists rated the training highly. The scores ranged from 3.74 to 4.63 with an average score of 4.43 on the 5-point Likert scale, indicating that they were highly satisfied with the DAPD training programme. Multivariate logistic regression showed that age, gender, year of qualification, county of workstation and practising restorative dentistry were positively associated with satisfaction. Dentists who practised in the cities were more than six times likely to be satisfied (aOR 6.1; CI: [1.3-8.554], p=0.012). Gender was statistically significant, such that male dentists were more satisfied (aOR 3.1; CI: [1.6-3.65], p=0.019).
The majority of the dentists were satisfied with the content of the training modules, mode of delivery and its usefulness in phasing down the use of dental amalgam. The strongest association was observed between practising restorative dentistry and satisfaction. Longitudinal training approaches to evaluate how satisfaction with training translates into changes in clinical practice would provide insight.
逐步淘汰牙科汞合金（DAPD）已引发了一场范式转变，转向使用替代性粘结性牙科修复材料和预防龋齿。一种新的修复实践模式的出现，在一些牙医之间造成了差距，凸显了重新调整他们知识和技能的必要性。
本研究的目的是评估肯尼亚这个低收入和中等收入国家的牙医对DAPD培训项目的满意度水平，并确定社会人口统计学特征与满意度水平之间的关联。材料和方法：开发了一个三小时的在线培训项目，目标样本为n = 260名牙医。收集了社会人口统计学特征数据，以及来自13个5级李克特量表问题的数据，这些问题评估了参与者对课程目标、实用性、方法、内容和时长的满意度。使用描述性统计分析数据，对分类社会人口统计学信息和满意度得分使用频率和比例，同时使用卡方检验和多变量逻辑回归分析社会人口统计学信息对满意度水平的影响，设定统计显著性水平为p = 0.05。
共有216名（83.1%）牙医参与并在培训结束时完成了在线问卷，这占截至2022年可检索到联系信息的牙医的28.8%。其中，141名（65.3%）为男性，130名（60.2%）年龄在20至40岁之间。大多数人在肯尼亚获得了本科学位（190名；88.0%），并从事修复牙科工作（187名；86.6%）。牙医对培训评价很高。在5级李克特量表上，得分范围为3.74至4.63，平均得分为4.43，表明他们对DAPD培训项目非常满意。多变量逻辑回归显示，年龄、性别、资格年份、工作县以及从事修复牙科工作与满意度呈正相关。在城市执业的牙医满意度超过六倍（调整后比值比6.1；置信区间：[1.3 - 8.554]，p = 0.012）。性别具有统计学显著性，男性牙医更满意（调整后比值比3.1；置信区间：[1.6 - 3.65]，p = 0.019）。
大多数牙医对培训模块的内容、授课方式及其在逐步淘汰牙科汞合金使用方面的实用性感到满意。观察到从事修复牙科工作与满意度之间的关联最为强烈。采用纵向培训方法来评估培训满意度如何转化为临床实践的变化将提供见解。
