Experience of Saudi Dental Practitioners with Intraoral Scanners

BackgroundThe objective of this study was to investigate the experience of Saudi dental practitioners with intraoral scanners, investigate the current knowledge and improve the practice accordingly. MethodsAt random, electronic surveys were distributed to Saudi dental practitioners. The study received 400 questionnaires, with 310 judged valid for the study. The questionnaire was divided into the following sections: (i) Practitioners demographic information such as gender, practice level, and practice experience. (ii) Experience and benefits of intraoral scanners. (iii) Require skills and training of IOS. (iv) Knowledge of IOS usage. Descriptive statistics such as numbers and percentages were used to analyze the collected data. The Chi-square and Fishers Exact tests were used to assess the results. ResultsThere were 161 women (51.8%) and 149 men among the participants (47.9%). General practitioners (198, or 63.7%) had the most subjects, followed by specialists (80, or 25.7%) and consultants (32, or 10.3%). In terms of IOS use in dental practice, most participants (70.6%) do not use it, while less than one-third do. The majority of participants (52.3%) intend to purchase IOS with significant variations based on gender, experience, and level of practice (p<0.05). Compared to traditional, most participants believe that IOS will eventually replace it, improve quality, and be more aesthetically pleasing. Most dentists believe that using IOS requires special skills and training. More than half of dentists believe IOSs have the same level of accuracy as conventional in producing three units FPDs, implant prosthesis, and complete denture. ConclusionIt can be concluded that dentists have a high level of satisfaction and a favorable attitude toward using IOS technology in clinical dentistry practice.