Evaluation of Knowledge and Practice of Yazd General Practitioners about Shade Selection of Fixed Dental Prosthesis in 2019

The color matching of dental restorations is effective in the beauty of the smile and a dentist should be familiar with the subject of color and light to make a beautiful and natural prosthesis. The aim of this study was to investigate the knowledge and practice of general dentists in Yazd City about the choice of fixed prosthesis color in 2019.

This was a descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study in which all the general dentists in Yazd City were included in the study by census. Data were collected in the field through a valid and reliable questionnaire containing 11 knowledge questions and 17 performance questions. Data were analyzed by SPSS software version 24 using t-test and ANOVA (α <0.05).

150 dentists with a mean age of 39.14 ± 7.96 were studied in this study. The mean score of knowledge was 26.5 ± 3.32 out of 33 points. Mean knowledge score was not statistically significant with age, sex and dental work experience (P >0.05), but was associated with participation in retraining courses (P = 0.046). 79% of participants used brossage and prophylaxis before choosing a color, 31% used sunlight to choose a color, and 37% used the color of adjacent teeth as a color choice.

The knowledge of general dentists in Yazd City in choosing the color of fixed prostheses was at a good level and the performance was relatively good. Participation in retraining courses had led to an increase in dentists' awareness in this field.