2012 Volume 55 Issue 1 Pages 75-83
The instruments, materials and medicines used in dental treatment are reported to differ among universities that educate dentists. This means that there may be differences in the operative procedures and in the instruments, materials and medicines used in actual dental practice. These differences can affect the training of dental hygienists, who will be placed in internships at several medical facilities outside of their schools. We conducted a survey among students who had completed internships to determine the instruments, materials, medicines and operative procedures used at medical facilities outside of the schools where the students received their clinical training. In particular, we compared the survey results to conservative dentistry procedures followed at university hospitals and general dental clinics. A questionnaire was conducted for 94 students in a dental hygienist training program. The questions included items related to materials, instruments and operative procedures used for root canal treatment at the various facilities where they served their internships. The results of the survey showed that there were slight differences between university hospitals and general dental clinics with regard to the instruments used for root canal preparation. Also, the root canal disinfectants used at university hospitals and general dental clinics varied considerably. There were also small differences between university hospitals and general dental clinics with regard to sealing and root canal filling methods. The present study showed that root canal treatment procedures and materials used at university hospitals slightly differed from those used at general dental clinics. Students in dental hygienist training institutions must learn to adapt to the various types of instruments, materials, and operative procedures used at clinical training facilities.
