Students’ perceptions on diagnosis and treatment of occlusal surface of first molars

Resumo

Accurate diagnosis of dental caries is a fundamental
requirement in health care. Objective: The aim of this study was
to evaluate the opinions of undergraduates concerning different
conditions of the occlusal surface of permanent first molar. Material
and methods: Two experienced and trained examiners, using visual
and radiographic examinations, classified five occlusal surfaces
of permanent first molars. The surfaces were photographed and
presented to students with a questionnaire about classification of
occlusal surfaces, methods used to aid caries diagnosis and type
of treatment to be applied. The answers were classified as correct
and incorrect and submitted to Chi-square test (p < 0.05). Results:
The results showed a higher percentage of correct answers regarding
to dentine caries (87.95%) and no caries (84.34%). For all surface
conditions, the methods most commonly used to aid diagnose were
professional prophylaxis, good lighting, drying and dental probe.
Considering the treatment, a greater number of correct answers
were obtained for the surface with dentine caries, with indication of conventional (65.06%) and/or preventive restoration (33.73%) and
no caries without treatment need or sealant (53.01%). For students
at 6th, 7th and 8th semesters, the percentage of correct answers
for classification and treatment was 72.31%, 58.33% and 62.94%,
respectively, without statistically significant differences (p < 0.05).
Conclusion: It was concluded that the opinion of students differed
regarding to the diagnosis and treatment mainly when the occlusal
surface showed early stages of dental caries.