Bridging the Gap Between Knowledge and Practice: Contemporary Preventive Strategies in Modern Dental Care-A...

Background/Objectives: Although contemporary preventive concepts are well established in dentistry, their consistent integration into routine clinical practice remains uncertain. This study aimed to assess how preventive strategies are understood and applied in daily dental practice, and to explore the relationship between clinicians' level of familiarity with preventive concepts and their implementation in patient care. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 202 practicing dentists between October 2024 and May 2025 using a structured, anonymous questionnaire comprising 34 items. The instrument explored professional characteristics, knowledge of preventive concepts, clinical decision-making, use of fluoride-based interventions and minimally invasive approaches, and familiarity with risk-based systems. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and chi-square and Fisher's exact tests (p < 0.05). Results: Most respondents reported moderate to high familiarity with contemporary preventive concepts, particularly remineralization and fluoride-based prevention. Preventive measures were commonly used; however, their implementation was often not structured. Formal caries risk assessment was routinely or often performed by 69.3% of clinicians, yet structured systems such as CAMBRA were routinely or often used by only 19.8%. Continuing professional education was significantly associated with greater use of preventive technologies (p = 0.018), and the use of structured risk assessment was associated with risk-based restorative decision-making (p = 0.041). Conclusions: Respondents reported a high level of familiarity with preventive concepts, but their application appeared inconsistent and frequently unstructured. These findings highlight a persistent gap between familiarity and implementation and point toward the need for clinically feasible, structured approaches that can support preventive decision-making in routine care.