Methods: A survey was conducted among 92 general dental practitioners in the IDF. The survey includes a presentation of radiographs of common asymptomatic dental pathologies over a large screen. The participants were asked to recommend a treatment as well as to describe whether antibiotics routinely prescribed following endodontic treatment/retreatment and third molar extraction in healthy patients.
Results: More than half of the dentists recommended treating caries lesions that extend to the DEJ, in low- and moderate-caries risk patients. Most of the dentists did not recommend of retreatment of endodontic-treated teeth with asymptomatic periapical pathology that do not subjected to further rehabilitation. Removal of the mandibular third molar was recommended more often by Israeli graduates. Eastern-Europeans recommended less on maxillary antagonist extraction. South-Americans had the lowest rate of recommendations of partially-impacted third molars. In all groups, more dentists recommended extractions of disease-free third molars in 35-year-old patient than in 19-year-old patient. Over one-fourth of the South-American dentists routinely prescribed antibiotics following root canal treatments/retreatments compared to 2% and 4% of the Israeli and to 5% and 18% of the Eastern-European dental practitioners, respectively (p<0.05). In third molar surgery, antibiotics were routinely prescribed mostly by South-American (64%), followed by Eastern-European (55%) and Israeli (38%) practitioners (p<0.05). The most common antimicrobial agent prescribed was amoxicillin (91%). More Hadassah-Hebrew University graduates than Tel-Aviv University graduates recommend of removal of asymptomatic impacted mandibular third molar and disease-free maxillary third molar antagonist. Most of Tel-Aviv University graduates routinely prescribe antibiotic coverage after third molar extraction.
Conclusions: Place of graduation has an influence on dental decision-making. Decision-making regarding third molar and caries lesions treatment and antibiotics prescribing is not always evidence-based. Further post-graduation education is warranted.