Preference of Materials for Posterior Restorations: A Cross-Sectional Study among Palestinian Dentists

The aim of the study is to evaluate the preferences of materials for posterior restorations among Palestinian dentists and to assess whether postgraduate training or clinical experience had an influence on their material preferences. A cross-sectional study was carried out among 216 dentists in Palestine using an online survey, which consisted of closed questions asking about socio demographic variables, the level of specialization and time since graduation. It further probed into the preferences for posterior restorations through questions about the first choice of material, type of composite resin (if used), use of rubber dam and preferences for curing. It was observed that 66.2% of the dentists preferred using composite and 72.9% preferred nano-hybrid composite restorations over other types of composite material. However, the majority (88.4%) did not prefer using a rubber dam. There was no significant association between the time of clinical training or post-graduate training and their choices for the materials. The study reports that composite was the preferred material for posterior restoration among the Palestinian dentists, and nano-hybrid their preferred type of composite. However, these dentists seldom used rubber dam and their postgraduate training or time of training did not influence their choice of material.