Evaluation of Awareness of General Dentists and Orthodontists in Isfahan about Applications of CBCT in Orthodontic Therapy

Currently, CBCT is a relatively new oral and dental imaging technique with a variety of capabilities and applications for the diagnosis and follow-up of orodental problems. The use of CBCT in orthodontics has many advantages, basically due to the relative superiority of 3D radiography over the 2D technique. The aim of this study was to evaluate awareness of general dentists and orthodontists in Isfahan about the applications of CBCT in orthodontic therapy in 2017. This descriptive–analytical study was carried out on 104 general dentists and 33 orthodontists working in Isfahan, who were selected using simple random sampling technique. A questionnaire, consisting of 13 questions on the awareness of general dentists and orthodontists in Isfahan about the applications of CBCT in orthodontic therapy, was designed and distributed among them. Based on the total score, dentist’s awareness was categorized as poor, moderate and good. Data were analyzed with SPSS 22, using t-test to compare awareness and years of practice, chi-squared test to analyze the effect of gender and degree (general practitioner or specialist) and Pearson’s correlation coefficient to evaluate the correlation between years of practice and awareness. In addition, two-way ANOVA was used to evaluate the effect of sex and educational degree on awareness. Among 104 general dentists and 33 orthodontists, the mean awareness score of orthodontists was 28.66, classified as a good level of awareness; the general dentists scored a mean of 27.83, classified as moderate level of awareness. There was no significant difference between the two groups of subjects. There was no significant difference in the mean scores of awareness between the two genders. Based on the results of this study, the levels of awareness about applications of CBCT in orthodontic therapy in general dentists and orthodontists were moderate and good, respectively.