KNOWLEDGE AND AWARENESS ON CASTING PROCEDURES AMONG DENTAL COLLEGE STUDENTS-A SURVEY

Introduction: Castingis a process by which an object is produced due to its solidification into a shape of the mould. This procedure is carried out in the field of dentistry to duplicate a missing tooth structure with as much accuracy as possible. It is essential that knowledge about the casting procedures, its principle and use is to be known among the dental students and practitioners. Thus, this study aims at evaluating the level of knowledge and awareness among the dental college students on casting procedures. Materials and methods:A self-administered survey was designed based on spreading knowledge and awareness about the casting procedures. A questionnaire consisting of a set of 10 questions was distributed through a google forms link among 100 undergraduate dental students belonging to the age group of 18-24 and were asked to fill out the forms. The results were collected and were analysed using SPSS version 20. Results:Inferring from the results collected, the entirety of the study population (100%) had responded to be aware of the casting procedure and dental casting. From the correlation graphs, it can be inferred that the female population (40%) had been more aware of the pattern of casting compared to the male population (19%). The p value was found out to be 0.862 (>0.05) which makes it statistically insignificant. The statistical insignificance thus observed from the two correlation analysis could be due to the selection of the study population. Conclusion:This present study provided information on the amount of awareness and knowledge that is prevailing among dental college students regarding the casting procedures and casting materials. Further awareness on this topic is to be encouraged among the students and dental practitioners.