Knowledge and Practice of the Different Maxillofacial Prostheses among Sudanese Dental Practitioners: A Cross-sectional Study

This study aims to assess the knowledge and practice of different types of maxillofacial prosthetic devices among Sudanese dental practitioners.

A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in the main governmental dental hospital, Khartoum Dental Teaching Hospital, and the Faculty of Dentistry, University of Khartoum. A self-administered questionnaire consisting of 23 closed questions addressing the participant’s socio-demographic data, knowledge, and practice of maxillofacial prostheses was conducted and distributed. One hundred and eighteen specialists and residents of multidiscipline were enrolled voluntarily, excluding prosthodontists, using the stratified sampling technique and simple randomization within the stratum. The participant's knowledge and practice were calculated as percentages achieved by dividing the number of accurate answers by the total number of questions and hence categorized as good 66.6%–100%, average 33.3%–66.6%, and poor less than 33.3%. The data was collected and analyzed using the IBM Statistical Package.

The overall knowledge score was average, with a significant association between the different specialties. While the practice score was poor, there was a significant relationship between the participant’s knowledge and their practice (p = 0.001*). The majority of respondents, 80.5% and 68.6%, reported that the lack of knowledge and the multidisciplinary approach in the treatment of maxillofacial patients were the main barriers that prevented the use of the different maxillofacial prostheses. A high percentage (83.1% of respondents) recommended improving awareness and training, and 78% highlighted the application of the multidisciplinary approach and recommended a specialized treatment protocol.

Although the participants had an average knowledge of the different maxillofacial prostheses, their practice was poor. The lack of knowledge and training and the absence of a multidisciplinary team have been highlighted as the main barriers that prevent the use of the different maxillofacial prostheses.

Maxillofacial prostheses play a crucial role in rehabilitating patients with maxillofacial defects by improving the patient’s aesthetics, phonetics, masticatory efficiency, self-esteem, and quality of life. Hence, dental practitioners' knowledge and practice of the different maxillofacial prostheses are of great importance.