Perceptions of dental therapy students regarding the teaching and training with dental amalgam, in a dental school in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Abstract

Dental amalgam has been used as a restorative material in dentistry for the past 150 years. This material has been used to restore posterior teeth throughout the world and is also used in South Africa. Dental amalgam has been the material of choice for patients presenting with large tooth decay areas, including the loss of cuspal areas. The reason for this is that dental amalgam was always considered strong and durable. Compared to alternate dental materials, this material could also withstand the significant forces associated with chewing and biting. Dental amalgam is also considered more cost-effective than alternate dental materials such as conventional glass ionomers, resin-modified glass ionomers, resin composite and ceramic restorations, making it more feasible and material of choice in lower economic countries, including South Africa.

Dental therapist job satisfaction and intention to leave: A cross-sectional study

“…Our study sample was dominated by African race (74.5%), which is consistent with two other studies of dental therapists in South Africa. 10,29 This is aligned with the South African racial profile, where 81% of citizens are Africans 30 and also, in part, explained by the fact that dental therapists in South Africa were and are still trained at only two historically black universities.…”

“…The majority of study participants worked in the private sector, similar to a previous study on UKZN dental therapy graduates where 47% were in private practice. 10 This trend is also seen among dentists, with 70%-80% working in the private sector, which serves about 20% of South Africa's population. 31 This concentration in the private sector is partly due to limited job opportunities in the public sector.…”

“…31 This concentration in the private sector is partly due to limited job opportunities in the public sector. 10 To address dissatisfaction among public sector dental therapists, government should focus on reviewing and properly implementing policies related to recruitment, retention and remuneration in order to attract and retain more dental therapists within the public sector that is utilised by more than 80% of South African citizens. 4 The majority of participants in our study expressed job dissatisfaction.…”

“…8 In South Africa, although dental therapists are trained and produced every year from the Sefako Makgatho University (SMU) and the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), the numbers of graduate dental therapists registered with the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) remain low. 9 A regional study in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) reported a high voluntary attrition among dental therapists 10 . The study reported that 26% of dental therapists left the profession, of whom 19% returned to university to study dentistry while 7% no longer work in the dental profession.…”

Exploring reasons why South African dental therapists are leaving their profession: A theory-informed qualitative study

“…Dental therapy is a category of mid-level oral health professionals that was introduced to the South African health system in 1977 to meet the population's oral health needs and to address inequities in oral health service provision [1][2][3][4]. The scope of dental therapy focuses on the holistic care of patients, which ranges from the prevention of oral disease and oral health promotion to the alleviation of pain, sepsis, and other diseases such as gingivitis, periodontitis, and dental caries [5].…”