Table 2.
The overall percentage responses to questions related to use of dental amalgam and according to gender
| Male | Female | P value | Overall | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Do you use dental amalgam for restorations in your clinical practice frequently? | ||||
| Yes | 46 (29.1) | 17 (9.9) | 0.000a | 64 (19.3) |
| No | 112 (70.9) | 154 (90.1) | 267 (80.7) | |
| Do you use dental amalgam for the following?b | ||||
| Simple restorations | 20 (12.3) | 9 (5.2) | – | 29 (8.6) |
| Large restorations | 79 (48.8) | 86 (50.0) | 166 (49.4) | |
| Build up material | 53 (32.7) | 52 (30.2) | 106 (31.5) | |
| Core material | 50 (30.9) | 33 (19.2) | 85 (25.3) | |
| Not used | 47 (29.0) | 61 (35.5) | 108 (32.1) | |
| What are the reasons that restrict you from using dental amalgam?b | ||||
| Esthetics | 118 (72.8) | 139 (80.8) | – | 259 (77.1) |
| Mercury toxicity | 36 (22.2) | 53 (30.8) | 90 (26.8) | |
| Patient’s desire | 96 (59.3) | 99 (57.6) | 197 (58.6) | |
| Other reasons | 17 (10.5) | 8 (4.7) | 25 (7.4) | |
| Is dental amalgam an occupational risk factor at your workplace? | ||||
| Yes | 42 (26.1) | 85 (49.7) | 0.000a | 127 (37.8) |
| No | 119 (73.9) | 86 (50.3) | 207 (61.6) | |
| Do you agree or disagree on replacing good amalgam restoration with composite resin? | ||||
| Agree | 29 (18.1) | 59 (34.5) | 0.001a | 90 (26.8) |
| Disagree | 131 (81.9) | 112 (65.5) | 243 (72.3) | |
| If a patient had defective amalgam restoration, what would you prefer changing it to? | ||||
| Amalgam | 121 (79.6) | 146 (86.4) | – | 269 (80.1) |
| Composite | 27 (17.8) | 21 (12.4) | 48 (14.3) | |
| Any of the above | 4 (2.6) | 2 (1.2) | 6 (1.8) | |
| Do you agree or disagree on stopping the use of amalgam as a final restoration? | ||||
| Agree | 42 (26.1) | 95 (55.6) | 0.000a | 139 (41.4) |
| Disagree | 119 (73.9) | 76 (44.4) | 195 (58.0) | |
aStatistically significant
bMultiple responses possible