KNOWLEDGE AND AWARENESS ABOUT SANDBLASTING PROCEDURES AMONG PRECLINICAL UNDERGRADUATE DENTAL STUDENTS- A QUESTIONNAIRE SURVEY

Introduction: Sandblasting is a technique used to strengthen the adhesive property and mechanical bond between the adhesive resin-based material and the restorative metals. It is also known as air-abrasion and they are frequently implied in restorative dental practice and orthodontics. The aim of this study is to assess the knowledge about sandblasting procedure, main purposes of this procedure, and various aspects related to sandblasting among dental students. Materials and methods: Detailed questionnaire was created with 12 questions about sandblasting and was circulated to 100 dental preclinical undergraduate students through google forms. The collected data was analyzed using chi square test in SPSS software version 21.0. Results: The results were collected and analysed, 70% of the dental students are aware about sandblasting procedure and the rest 30% of them are not aware of it. Only 35% of the students are aware about the main purpose of sandblasting and the rest 65% are not aware of it. 67.5% of the students are aware that sandblasting is used in restorative dentistry. Students are aware (65%) about sandblasting used in orthodontics. Majority of the second year students are more aware about the other term for the sandblasting process than the first year students with a significant difference statistically (chi square value- 5.000, p value-0.025< 0.05 ). Conclusion: Nearly most of the dental preclinical undergraduate students are having good knowledge about the sandblasting procedures and their implications in different dental specialties. Students are aware about the importance and purposes of sandblasting procedures in dental practice. Further awareness about sandblasting procedures must be created among dental students.