Capping treatment approaches and evaluation of used materials among dentists

Aim: The aim of this study is to evaluate the treatment approaches and materials used by dentists who are actively working in Turkey. It is aimed to evaluate whether there is a need for more information by collecting data on pre-treatment diagnosis and material preference during treatment. Materials and Methods: Dentists and specialist dentists working in private or public institutions in Turkey were included in the study. A questionnaire of 25 questions was used in the study and directed to the participants from social media. Statistical analyzes of the data obtained from the study were performed using IBM SPSS V3. Chi-square test was used to compare categorical variables according to groups, and multiple comparisons of ratios were analyzed with Bonferroni correction. Analysis results were presented as frequency (percentage) for categorical data. Significance level was taken as P<0.05. Results: 402 dentists from Turkey participated in the study. 66.2% of the participants were female and 33.8% were male. 55.2% of the participants were dentists, 30.6% were specialty or doctoral students, and 14.2% were specialists or physicians with a doctorate. 82.3% of the participants stated that they applied indirect capping treatment and 64.9% stated that they applied direct capping treatment. 67.3% of those who applied indirect capping treatment and 62% of those who applied direct capping treatment stated that they did not apply any vitality test. The most commonly used materials in indirect capping treatment were liner (dycal) containing 72.4% Ca(OH)2 and glass ionomer cement with 58.3%. The most used materials in direct capping treatment were 73.3% Ca(OH)2 -containing liner (dycal), 64.7% glass ionomer cement. While amalgam and roll cotton isolation was more common among those working in the public sector as the time worked as a dentist increased, rubber dam isolation and the use of contemporary materials such as MTA and biodentine were more common in 0-5 year old dentists and dentists working in the private sector. Conclusion: Significant differences were found between the dentists' approaches to capping and the materials they used, according to their specialty, the length of time they worked, and the place they worked. It was concluded that dentists need to increase their knowledge and experience about capping treatments during their education and after graduation. Key Words: capping, dentist, survey