Scottish dentists' use of and opinions regarding bitewing radiography

This study examined Scottish dentists' claimed use of and opinions regarding bitewing radiography. Information was obtained from a questionnaire sent to all dentists practising in Scotland in 1987 and from national statistics published in the Annual Reports of the Dental Practice Boards in the UK. The response rate to the questionnaire was 72% (926 general dental practitioners and 201 clinical community dental officers). Respondents considered radiography to be of value for the detection of approximal caries, assessment of caries progression and evaluation of alveolar periodontal support. They considered it to be of less value for a variety of other tasks, including detecting occlusal caries, unerupted teeth or calculus. One hundred and fifty-eight dentists (15% of respondents) claimed not to have taken any bitewings of their 12-year-old patients in the preceding year. Those respondents who did claim to have exposed some bitewings said that approximately one-quarter of this patient group had received the examination in the past year. The overall Health Service statistics appear to confirm that the utilization of radiography by dentists practising in Scotland is somewhat lower than that by dentists in England and Wales, a factor which requires further investigation.