Conceptualization of Dental Caries by Undergraduate Dental Students from the First to the Last Year

Abstract

Dental caries, still one of the most common diseases affecting people around the world, has a multifactorial nature encompassing necessary (biofilm accumulation), determinant (exposure to sugars and fluoride) and modulating factors (biological and social). The concepts about caries learned at dental schools may directly influence the conduct of the future dentists regarding the control and treatment of this disease. The aim of this study was to determine the concept that students at the Piracicaba Dental School, University of Campinas, Brazil, have about dental caries. In this cross-sectional descriptive study, 274 students answered the discursive question “Conceptualize dental caries”. Students' answers were analyzed by a content analysis technique that allowed the creation of response categories and classification of the concepts in categories. Frequencies were expressed as absolute numbers and percentages. Differences between the responses according to the students' class years were tested by the chi-square test. Differences with p<0.05 were considered statistically significant. The response categories were: biological concept (53.6%), restrictive multifactorial concept (12.1%), comprehensive multifactorial concept (8.1%), transmissibility concept (15.8%), and other (10.4%). Differences in response category frequencies were seen between the class years (p<0.001). There was no consensus on the disease definition, although students predominantly had a biological concept of dental caries.

Cariology education for undergraduate Brazilian dental students

“…In Europe, more dental schools include this content in cariology education: 89.0% include dental erosion and 88.0% include defects of dental hard tissues [12]. Dental caries, erosion, and abrasion are processes that cause loss of dental hard tissue [15,16]. As a consequence, these items should be included in the cariology program in order to permit the student to perform a differential diagnostic.…”

“…Recently, in Brazil, some initiatives to assess how cariology has been taught were undertaken. Methods involving analysis of curriculum courses [14] and the conceptualization of dental caries by students [15] were used to initially evaluate the insertion of cariology content. However, data on teaching cariology in different geographic areas in the country are still missing.…”

Tomada de decisão clínica frente ao diagnóstico e tratamento de lesões em esmalte dentário

“…Dental caries is one of the most common diseases in the world. It has a multifactorial nature, including essential factors (biofilm accumulation), determinant factors (exposure to sugars and fluorides) and modular factors (biological and social), concepts about the disease, incorporated during the professionals formation, can direct the type of conduct that will be adopted by them in caries control and treatment 21 .…”

Análisis comparativo de dos selladores radiculares a base de ZOE y resina epóxica

“…21 La asociación entre la presencia de eugenol y la inhibición de la polimerización de materiales resinosos es un fenómeno ampliamente reportado en la literatura, 22 y esta inhibición resulta en una deficiencia en la calidad del polímero resultante, afectando negativamente la capacidad adhesiva del material. [3][4][5] Por otro lado, el grupo obturado con el sellador ADSEAL™ obtuvo los valores de resistencia adhesiva más elevados. De acuerdo con la composición proporcionada por el fabricante, ADSEAL™ es un sellador endodóntico a base de resina, no habiendo componentes identificados con capacidad potencial para inhibir la polimerización de los materiales empleados para la adhesión del poste de fibra de vidrio.…”