[Knowledge, Attitude, and Perception of Radiological Risks and Use of Radiology-Informed Consent Among Peruvian...

To evaluate the level of knowledge, attitude, and perception of radiological risks and the use of informed consent in oral and maxillofacial radiology among dentists working at the National University of San Marcos (UNMSM).

The design of this study was observational, descriptive, and cross-sectional. A 25-item multiple-choice questionnaire was developed using Google Forms. The first section presented sociodemographic data, and the second section presented the assessment of knowledge, attitude, and perception of radiological risks and the use of informed consent (IC) in oral and maxillofacial radiology. Eighty-nine teaching professionals were included in the analysis. The data were analyzed using the chi-square test and logistic regression analysis, with a significance level of p≤ 0.05.

The level of knowledge was found to be high (76.40%) and medium (23.60%) in the sample; however, only questions related to the organ requiring radiographic protection and knowledge of the principles of radiation protection were statistically different according to academic degree and years of clinical experience, respectively (p≤0.05). With regard to attitude and perception, most participants always or very frequently use lead aprons (62.93%) and thyroid collars (42.70%) on their patients, while only perception showed significant differences according to academic degree and clinical entity in which they work (p≤0.05).

The results offer a representative view of the knowledge, practices, and perceptions that could be present in other educational and clinical settings. These could raise awareness among dentists, promote the use of IC in dental radiology, and guide training interventions, institutional policies, and regulatory frameworks.