Knowledge awareness practice among dental practitioners regarding the use of burs in tooth preparation

Objective: This study was conducted with the aim of demonstrating the level of knowledge and practice amongst general dental practitioners in Chennai city, India in 2016-17, in terms of usage of dental burs. Materials and Methods: In this cross sectional study, the general dental doctors in Chennai provided information on their approach in dealing with the dental burs, via a pretested self administered questionnaire. The first part includes the knowledge and the last part involves dentist’s practice in terms of usage of burs. Data from the questionnaires were analyzed using SPSS 16 software. Results: A total 102 practitioners answered the questions, a response rate of 100%. Among the sample, 47% preferred to use the diamond burs and 33% preferred to use tungsten burs. About 48% would use a bur only once and 39% would use twice and none would never discard a bur. Doctors knew that the burs efficiency decrease with usage. Conclusion: This study revealed a low level of knowledge and practice regarding the uses of burs in tooth preparation among dental practitioners.