Trends in Selection, Usage, and Techniques of Interocclusal Record Materials among Private Dental Practitioners: A Survey

Background: Majority of general dental practitioners provide fixed dental prosthesis in India. The aim of this study was to gather information on selection, usage, and materials and methods employed in interocclusal records and their communication with the dental laboratory for restorative procedures practised by dentists in Indore district to evaluate and to improve the quality of current practice.

Aim and objectives: The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to understand and to evaluate dental practitioner's knowledge on interocclusal recording materials, its usage, their clinical implications, and their correlation with the laboratory in restorative procedures practiced by the dental practitioners in Indore district.

Materials and methods: A questionnaire comprising 11 questions were framed and circulated among general dental practitioners except prosthodontists, and the results were statistically analyzed.

Results: Most of the practitioner's preferred wax (54.6%) as an interocclusal recording material over polyvinylsiloxane and polyether. Most of the dentists preferred full arch interocclusal record (27.8%). About 51.5% clinicians trimmed the interocclusal record before sending to the laboratory.

Conclusion: From this survey, it has been concluded that the practitioner's attitude toward the use of interocclusal record materials is found to be deviated from well-acknowledged prosthodontic quality guidelines.