Professional and Demographic Influences on Impression Techniques and Soft Tissue Management Protocols in Contemporary Iraqi Dental Practice
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.22317/jcms.v12i1.2088Keywords:
Dental Impression Materials, Digital Impression, Prosthodontics, Clinical Experience, Soft Tissue ManagementAbstract
Objective: This study evaluated the effect of gender, dental specialty and clinical experience on impression practice decision and soft tissue management among Iraqi dentists using multivariable analytical methods.
Methods: A cross sectional survey was conducted among 345 Iraqi dentists. Data were collected from answer for questionnaire on impression materials, techniques, soft tissue management, and quality control practices. Chi-square tests measure bivariate associations, followed by multivariable binary and multinomial logistic regression analyses.
Results: Specialty demonstrated strong associations with impression material selection and soft tissue management decisions (likelihood-ratio χ² up to 50.438, P < 0.001), whereas the effect of clinical experience varied across outcomes. Clinical experience was associated with impression material selection and soft tissue management in multivariable models but was not an independent predictor of digital impression adoption. Gender showed inconsistent associations across models. Digital impressions were used by 40.6% of participants; however, scanner use was not independently associated with impression task delegation (OR = 0.97, P = 0.921). Impression material type emerged as the strongest factor associated with soft tissue management decisions (LR χ² = 56.9, P < 0.001). Additionally, 4.1% of practitioners reported not routinely examining final impressions, a pattern observed predominantly among early-career dentists.
Conclusion: Impression-decision practice among the surveyed dentists were primarily associated with dental specialty and, to a variable extent, clinical experience, while gender showed limited and inconsistent effects. Impression material type emerged as the strongest practice-related factor associated with soft tissue management decisions.
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