DENTAL LASER EDUCATION AND KNOWLEDGE AMONG FINAL YEAR DENTAL STUDENTS AT SAVEETHA DENTAL COLLEGE- A QUESTIONNAIRE STUDY

Aim of the study: To assess the educational level and the knowledge of the final year dental students regarding the application of laser in dentistry. Materials and methods: This cross-sectional, descriptive study was carried out at Saveetha dental college. A questionnaire was designed and answered by 100 final year dental students. The questionnaire consisted of 2 parts. First part of the questionnaire was about dental laser education at saveetha dental college and the second part was about the knowledge of application of laser in dentistry. The second part was subdivided to 6 sections. Each section consisted of several items consisting of the uses of laser in 5 different dental specialties , and a section in laser protection. The analysis of the result was carried out by giving a score of +2 for a correct response, 0 for don’t know response and -2 for an incorrect response. Student’s knowledge scores were calculated and transferred to a scale ranged between -2 and +2. Score of > or =1 was considered as sufficient knowledge, while score of <1 was considered as insufficient knowledge. Result: Most of the students (96%) reported that they did not have enough dental laser education. In general, majority of the students had insufficient knowledge regarding the uses of laser in dentistry. Student’s knowledge of the application of dental laser in Periodontics was better than their knowledge in Pediatric dentistry, Orthodontics, Endodontics, Oral Surgery and Operative dentistry. Conclusion: Undergraduate dental students of Saveetha dental college had inadequate laser education and insufficient knowledge regarding the application of laser in different specialties of dentistry. More education about dental lasers should be added to the curriculum of undergraduate program since it is highly essential for students to know about newer technologies and apply it in their practice. This study has helped Saveetha dental college to know the status of the undergraduate students of their institution about their education and knowledge on application of laser in dentistry, thereby guiding the institution to make necessary measures to include laser education in undergraduate curriculum.