“Dental Stem Cells”: Awareness, knowledge, and attitude of dental professionals—A cross‐sectional study

Aim The present study was conducted with an aim to assess the awareness about existence of dental stem cells among dental professionals. Materials and Methods A total sample size of 100 dental professionals in the age group of 22‐32 years, comprising of 28 interns, 46 postgraduate students, and 26 senior residents from various specialties was selected. A self‐administered, hand‐delivered, 10‐point questionnaire was used to assess the awareness, knowledge, and attitude of dental professionals towards dental stem cells. Results were documented and statistically analyzed using chi‐square test. Results A total of 72% dental professionals were aware about dental stem cells with dental curriculum books being the main source of information. Note that 81% of positive respondents were aware about the different types and a total of 28% were aware about the procedure to procure dental stem cells. Only 33.3% of positive respondents were aware about existence of dental stem cell banks in India. Conclusion A high level of awareness about dental stem cells and its applications was noted during the course of this study. A significant association of age and type of practice with awareness of dental stem cells and knowledge regarding their use in developing nondental tissues was observed. A positive attitude towards recommending dental stem cell banking was seen.