ABSTRACT
Objective:The purpose of this study was to evaluate the general attitude of undergraduate dental
students toward rubber dam use, specifically focusing on operative procedures before
starting to serve community.Methods:Questionnaires were distributed to undergraduate clinical years' students of two private
colleges; Al-Farabi Dental College, Riyadh, KSA and Buraidah Private Colleges, Qassim,
KSA. Questions were asked about areas where the students used rubber dam in operative
procedures, in which types of caries classes, and in which type of restoration they
frequently used the rubber dam.Results: We found that students of both private dental colleges agreed with the opinions that
proper isolation cannot be achieved for the restoration of operative procedures without
using rubber dam and restoration placed under rubber dam have a greater longevity
than those placed without.Conclusions: Within the limitations of the present study, it can be concluded that the perceptions
of dental students on rubber dam need to be improved and strategies should be developed
so that this valuable adjunct will comprise one of the indispensable elements of dental
care.
Key words:
Isolation - operative dentistry - rubber dam