Knowledge, Perception & Attitude Regarding Tooth Carving Among Dental Students

Abstract

Background: Teaching dental anatomy includes observation and analysis of natural teeth and carving wax models to accurately reproduce the morphology of teeth. Tooth carving through wax blocks is a required preclinical exercise for undergraduate and postgraduate understudies to perform as indicated by the dental educational plan in India. Knowing tooth morphology is important in various fields of dentistry. Aim: To assess the knowledge, perception and attitude of dental students towards the tooth carving sessions. Materials and Method: A total of 98 subjects were contacted of which 80 responded. The knowledge of tooth carving in clinical practice was evaluated through 10 multiple choice questionnaires. Questions ranged from the queries of clinicians interested in tooth carving and their recommendations regarding tooth carving. The collected data is transferred to excel sheet and results were obtained through SPSS software version 23. The statistical tests were applied including proportions and chi-square tests for significance.  Result: A total of 80 dental students were included in this survey. Among them, 78.4% of respondent students believe that the tooth carving exercise can be continued in the undergraduate dental curriculum.62.50% of participants believed carving has influenced better knowledge of tooth anatomy. 77.50% of them felt that carving of roots was a difficult part. 46.25% of them participants felt tooth carving helpful in restorative dentistry and 53.75% thoughts it was not necessary. 65% of them respondents agreed carving improved their clinical skills.

 Conclusion: The results indicated that most of the dental students valued what they learned through tooth carving and their use of knowledge in their practice.