Knowledge and practices of dental lasers among dental professionals in India: A survey-based study

Aim: This study aims to assess the attitude, awareness, and knowledge of the dental professionals regarding dental lasers in India. Materials and Methods: This survey was conducted at the 69th Indian Dental Conference, 2016, after approval from the organizing committee. Three-hundred copies of the questionnaire were distributed among the practitioners attending the conference. The questionnaire consisted of 23 questions. The first part of the questionnaire was about dental laser education and the second part was about the knowledge of dental laser applications. The second part was divided into six subsections. Each section consisted of several items related to the uses of laser in five different dental specialties in addition to a section on laser protection. Results: Only 21% of the respondents had received any formal training before the use of lasers. Most of the participants had insufficient knowledge regarding the applications of laser in dentistry. Students' knowledge of the uses of dental laser in periodontics, oral surgery, and operative dentistry was better than their knowledge in pediatric dentistry, orthodontic, and endodontics. Conclusion: The results of this survey suggest that there is a need to educate and train dental professionals regarding dental lasers to utilize this new technology to its full potential in future.