Resumo

OLIVEIRA, Marlen Viviane; SILVA, Milena Bortolotto Felippe; JUNQUEIRA, José Luiz Cintra  e  OLIVEIRA, Luciana Butini. Evaluation of the level of knowledge of dental surgeons regarding radiographic techniques, radioprotection measures, and biosafety in Montes Claros, MG Brazil. Arq. Odontol. [online]. 2012, vol.48, n.2, pp. 82-88. ISSN 1516-0939.

Aim: To assess the level of knowledge of dentists in the city of Montes Claros, Minas Gerais, Brazil, regarding doctor's requests for radiographic examinations, radioprotection measures, and biosafety. Materials and Methods: 203 dentists were asked to answer a questionnaire presenting 25 questions related to the studied topics. Of the 112 dental professionals who answered the questionnaire, 41 were general practitioners and 71 were specialists; 8 had been working for less than 5 years after their undergraduate course, 54 had already been working for 5 to 15 years, and 50 had been working for over 15 years. The Chi-square test and Fisher exact test were applied for association analysis. The level of significance was set at 5%. Results: Regarding the indication of imaging techniques for the diagnosis of oral disease, 80% of the professionals recommended interproximal dental imaging for the diagnosis of caries. Regarding periapical radiographs, 86.7% pointed out periapical imaging for periodontal disease, 88.8% recommended periapical imaging for endodontics, 72.6% pointed out periapical imaging for included tooth removal; and 81.5% recommended periapical imaging for dental fractures. Regarding the planning for implants, only 16.9% recommended computed tomography (CT), while 52.3% recommended panoramic imaging. As for radioprotection and biosafety, 84% of the professionals reported the adoption of high exposure times of above 0.8 seconds, 58.9% prefered to perform the process using the visual analysis method, 52.7% admitted using the activation of X-rays using the delay button, while 84.8% discarded the developer and fixer waste in raw sewage. Another correlation could be observed between the time spent to complete one's college degree and the following procedures adopted by the professional: exposure time used to expose a radiographic film (p=0.03), method used for radiographic film processing (p<0.01) and destination of developer and fixer waste solutions (p<0.01). Conclusion: It could be concluded that dentists in Montes Claros, MG, Brazil need better clarification regarding requests for X-rays and due regulations concerning the radioprotection and biosafety measures to be adopted in dental offices.

Palavras-chave : Dental radiography; Radiation protective agents; Exposure to biological agents.