Tooth Numbering System in Saudi Arabia: Survey

Objective: There were four aims of the current study: (1) to find the most commonly used Tooth Numbering System (TNS) in Saudi Arabia in both academic and non-academic institutions, (2) to identify the most commonly taught TNS in dental colleges, (3) to understand the reasons why dental practitioners prefer to use a specific TNS, and (4) the consequences of using more than one TNS. Materials and method: Between May 2014 and May 2015, a self-administered questionnaire containing 21 questions was randomly distributed to 121 individuals (20 deans of dental colleges and 101 heads of governmental dental centers). Results: The most commonly used TNS is the Federation Dentaire Internationale (FDI) TNS for both primary and permanent dentitions in both academic and non-academic institutions, followed by the Palmer TNS and then the Universal TNS. Conclusion: The FDI TNS proved to be the most taught TNS in dental colleges in Saudi Arabia. It is advised that the FDI TNS be implemented as a unified system in Saudi Arabia due to the advantages of this particular TNS and the benefits of using one single TNS. (C) 2016 Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of King Saud University.