Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of General Dentists and Dental Students of Isfahan University about the Principles of Biopsy

Introduction: Biopsy is the most accurate way to make a definitive diagnosis, based on which the prognosis and treatment plan can be determined. This study aimed to evaluate the knowledge, attitude, and practice of general dentists and dental students about the principles of biopsy. Materials & Methods: This descriptive-analytical and cross-sectional study conducted on 188 general dentists and 93 senior dental students of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences using a questionnaire. Then data were analyzed using Pearson correlation coefficient, T-test) in all tests, the significance level is considered 0.05). Results: The mean score of dentists’ knowledge was 4.62 ± 1.42 and, the mean score of students’ knowledge was 4.96 ± 1.77 out of 8 points. The knowledge of dentists who had participated in retraining courses was higher than that of dentists who had not attended any biopsy retraining and was statistically significant (p value > 0.001).The mean score of dentists’ attitude (39.6 ± 4.06) was higher than the students’ (37.05 ± 3.06). Conclusion: Level of knowledge and attitude of dentists and students about the principles of biopsy was moderate. Their performance was also poor and most of the dentists expressed a lack of necessary skills for not doing a biopsy. This study shows the need for educational programs related to the principles of biopsy, in the form of retraining courses and more emphasis on the student curriculum.