Evaluation of Theoretical and Practical Education of Mineral Trioxide Aggregate Manipulation for Dental Students

Problem statement: The aim was to find out whether undergraduate students in Iranian dental schools were taught about and used clinically Mineral Trioxide Aggregate (MTA). Approach: Iranian senior dentistry students (487) were evaluated in this cross-sectional study. A questioner was prepared which contained personal questions in addition to theoretical and practical information about the use of MTA in senior dentistry students. All the responses were analyzed using SPSS software, Ver.13.5 with Kappa coefficient which was in a 0.8-1 altitude that is convenient. The final questioner contained 13 questions. Then data was collected and analyzed with t-test and SPSS, Ver. 13.5. Results: 50.9% (248) of the studied students were female and 49.1% (239) were male. 93.2% of students believed that it is necessity of technical education of MTA and 92.6% of students were believed in necessity of technical education of MTA manipulation for general dentistry students. In 5 dental schools, this material was used in departments of endodontic, pediatric, restorative and prosthodontics. Also, the students used MTA in pulp capping and pulpotomy and endodontic surgeries. In 14 faculties, students used MTA in clinical practice for pulp capping and open apex teeth and in 16 faculties, this material was used for treatment of perforation. Conclusion: The results of this study indicated that despite different studies related to MTA, it seems that there is a need for theoretical and practical education to be considered in educational curriculum.