Knowledge, Attitudes, Safety Awareness and Practice of Laser Dentistry Among Sudanese Dentists: A Cross-Sectional Survey
TL;DR
Positive attitudes were not matched by practical experience or comprehensive safety knowledge, particularly regarding plume inhalation, and Structured undergraduate and postgraduate training with explicit plume-safety content is recommended.
Abstract
Background
Laser technology is increasingly integrated into dental practice worldwide, yet adoption in low-resource settings often lags behind favorable attitudes. No previous study has characterized Sudanese dentists’ knowledge, attitudes, safety awareness and practice of laser dentistry.
Methods
In this cross-sectional study, 413 Sudanese dentists completed a structured, self-administered online questionnaire between August 2023 and January 2024 through non-probability convenience sampling. Composite Knowledge (0–8), Attitude (4–20) and Safety-awareness (0–4) scores were derived; internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha. Associations were tested with chi-square/Fisher’s exact and Mann–Whitney U/Kruskal–Wallis tests, and independent correlates of laser use by multivariable logistic regression (p < 0.05). Reporting followed STROBE.
Results
Half of respondents (219, 53.0%) recognized that lasers treat both hard and soft tissue. Interest was high (346, 83.8%), yet only 77 (18.6%) used lasers. The commonest barrier (n = 353) was inadequate hands-on experience (245, 69.4%), followed by cost (90, 25.5%). Awareness of ocular (280, 67.8%) and cutaneous (263, 63.7%) hazards was moderate, but plume-inhalation awareness was low (133, 32.2%). Internal consistency was good to excellent (alpha 0.87–0.89). Independent correlates of laser use were prior safety training (aOR 19.9, 95% CI 7.2–55.1), higher knowledge score (aOR 1.55 per point, 1.23–1.96) and private-sector practice (aOR 2.88, 1.16–7.20); gender and qualification were not.
Conclusion
Positive attitudes were not matched by practical experience or comprehensive safety knowledge, particularly regarding plume inhalation. Structured undergraduate and postgraduate training with explicit plume-safety content is recommended