Abstract

Background: Dental caries is the most common oral illness. Fissure sealants (FS) are a viable alternative to traditional dental caries treatments. The aim of our study was to assess the knowledge and practice of FS among dental practitioners in Saudi Arabia.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study using a questionnaire. Participants were invited through multiple social media apps using a convenience sampling method. A total of 281 participants, including 72.3% dental general practitioners, with a mean age of 28.16 years, contributed to this survey to provide data on knowledge and practice of FS throughout Saudi Arabia. SPSS was used for data analysis.

Results: The total knowledge score of the participants’ correct answers had a mean of 8.54 (out of 11 questions), with a standard deviation of 1.35. A total of 8.5% of the participants had not previously used FS, and 38.8% of participants avoided using FS due to the possibility of sealing over caries. Although less than 45% of participants used rubber dams during the installation of FS, more than 82% of candidates stated that they used traditional partial isolation. Moreover, the majority of participants thought that utilizing FS in conjunction with fluoride treatment would produce greater benefits than using FS alone.

Conclusion: Dental practitioners in Saudi Arabia have good levels of knowledge about FS. However, the level of evidence-based clinical knowledge about the ideal use of sealant needs improving. Future efforts must be made to enforce the use of evidence-based clinical practices regarding FS.

Keywords: Knowledge; Practice; Fissure Sealants; Dental Practitioners; Saudi Arabia

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