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Spanish dental hygienist attitudes to dental radiological protection: assessment of a 1‐day pilot course
Author(s) -
MartínezBeneyto Y,
CamachoAlonso F,
AlcarazBaños M,
LópezJornet P,
PerezLajarin L
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
international journal of dental hygiene
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.674
H-Index - 38
eISSN - 1601-5037
pISSN - 1601-5029
DOI - 10.1111/j.1601-5037.2007.00287.x
Subject(s) - medicine , radiological weapon , course (navigation) , family medicine , radiation protection , dentistry , population , radiation dose , environmental health , nuclear medicine , surgery , physics , astronomy
Objectives: To determine hygienists’ knowledge of and attitudes to X‐ray equipment and film processing, and to assess both after a 1‐day course. Study population: One‐hundred and four dental hygienists from the south‐east of Spain attending a 1‐day course in oral radiology. Methodology: A questionnaire comprising different sections related with socio‐demographic items, X‐ray equipment and the processing of dental films was answered before and after a 1‐day pilot course on radiation protection. Results: The response rate was 89.42% ( n = 93). Of the participants 94.6% were women, with a mean age of 29.52 (SD 6.861) and 7.20 years of professional experience (SD 5.089). The level of knowledge before the course was 48.28%, which increased to 85.62% after the course ( P < 0.001). Conclusions: The prescribed standard was reached by <23.65% of those attending the course at the beginning. Although attending the course led to a considerable improvement, it did not always result in a high level of knowledge of basic radiation equipment and processing.