Background: CBCT as well as Digital radiography is being used increasingly in India in the last 20 years. Aim and Objectives: The aim of this study is to obtain knowledge about the prevalence of use of digital radiography and cone-beam computed tomography and to comprehend dental students and dental practitioners knowledge about this diagnostic tool and their requirement for awareness about this topic. Materials and Methods: Questionnaires consisting of 20 questions were given to the dental practitioners and dental students of different dental colleges in India during the period of March-April, 2024 which included first year to final BDS students, interns, and postgraduate students and practicing dental surgeons.The information was collected from each participant through structured questionnaires regarding attitude and awareness towards usage of CBCT and digital radiograph and radiation protection as well. The Pearson correlation coefficient test was employed to evaluate the validity and reliability of the questionnaire, with a p-value of ? 0.05 considered statistically significant. Results: This study analyses the data obtained from 155 respondents. Most of the clinicians (80.6%) have used digital radiographic methods in their practice. The institutions usually have a digital dental X-ray machine, less often a digital panoramic X-ray machine, and least often a cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) unit. Most dental practitioners performed 1 to 5 CBCT scans per month for adult patients and the most frequent reason for its use was implant planning (78.1%). Of the practitioners, 70.3% use necessary radiation protection measures in their dental set up. Conclusions: The number of digital X-ray machines has increased throughout the last decade. Indian dental professionals do not often use cone-beam computed tomography. Some concerns were raised about respondents’ knowledge regarding exposure factors and working principles of CBCT. Additional training programmes should be organised to Indian dental professionals regarding working principles and uses of CBCT.
Keywords: Cone-beam computed tomography, Digital radiography, Questionnaire, Awareness
