بووسى آكاهى، دانش ونكوش دفدازيزشكان شهواصفهان هوءووه ىربوه سعودهاى بنيا٠٥ى دفدانى دودفدازيؤشكى

Introduction: Stem cells which are capable of self-proliferation and differentiation into at least two different types of cells can play a major role in the treatment of various diseases. The aim of this study was to evaluate awareness, knowledge and attitudes of dental practitioners in Isfahan regarding stem cells and their applications in the dental field. Materials & Methods: This cross-sectional study was based on designing a structured self-functioning questionnaire, with close-ended questions. The questionnaire was distributed among 391 general dentists and specialists in Isfahan. Data were analyzed with SPSS 22 using Spearman’s test, t-test and chi-squared test (α=0.05). Results: Of 391 dental practitioners working in Isfahan, 245 general dentists and 63 specialists were familiar with the term "stem cells". The mean age of the subjects in this research was 41 years. Of these dentists, 86 (22.2%) had job experience less than 5 years and 105 (27.11%) had 5‒10 years of experience and 197 (50.8%) had job experience over 10 years. The mean awareness score was 3.92, with mean knowledge and attitude scores of 2.63 and 38.6, respectively. The correlation between mean awareness, knowledge and attitude scores showed a direct and significant correlation between awareness and knowledge (r=0.608, p value < 0.001). However, there was no significant correlation between awareness and attitude (r=0.099, p value = 0.085). In addition, there was no significant correlation between knowledge and attitude (r=0.055, p value = 0.332). Conclusion: The results showed that despite high level awareness and relatively positive attitude toward stem cells, knowledge on the application of stem cells was low. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]