Background: During the educational period of the university, students are trained to perform radiographic examinations and the principles of radiation protection for both children and adults. Considering that the knowledge of dental students and dentists about the principles of radiation protection can prevent the occurrence of many possible radiation risks on children, the present study was conducted to investigate the knowledge and attitude towards radiation protection for children of final year dental students at Isfahan Azad University.
Materials and Methods: This descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study was performed on 67 students (including all 30 students in the 11th semester and 37 students in the 12th semester). Of the participants, 55.2% were female and, 44.8% were male, 23 to 37 years. Data collection was conducted using a questionnaire divided into three sections: Demographic Information (age, gender, and if the student was a transfer or visiting student), Knowledge Assessment (12 questions), and Attitude Assessment (6 questions). After the students answered the questions in the questionnaire, the data were analyzed using Mann-Whitney statistical tests and Spearman's correlation coefficient.
Results: Knowledge level had no significant relationship with age (p=0.272) and academic semester (p=0.491). However, the level of knowledge in men was significantly higher than in women (p=0.033 ). Attitude level had no significant relationship with age (p=0.634), gender (p=0.125), or academic semester (p=0.532).
Conclusion: The knowledge of the students about radiation protection for children was average, but their attitude was good. This shows the need for further investigation and academic training regarding the improvement of their level of knowledge. Also, age, gender , and academic semester did not affect students' knowledge and attitude. Gender does not affect students' attitudes, but male students had higher knowledge about radiation protection in children.