Impression Materials Used in Fixed Dental Prosthesis: A Study within Private Practice Dentists in Casablanca, Morocco

Background: To achieve a fixed prosthesis that is well integrated into the oral environment, the impression for a fixed prosthesis must precisely reproduce the appropriate dental preparation and the sulcular region. To obtain an accurate impression, impression materials and auxiliary equipment must be chosen carefully according to clinical conditions. The aim of this article was to determine the various impression materials and the factors influencing their choice, the types of impression trays, as well as the practice of decontaminating impressions by private sector dentists in Casablanca, Morocco. Methods: A descriptive epidemiological cross-sectional study was conducted over a period of about 5 months from October 2022 to March 2023 using a questionnaire distributed to 262 dentists. Results: The most used impression materials were condensation cured silicone (68.7%) followed by addition cured silicone (65.6%). The most used type of impression tray was the perforated tray (88.5%), followed by the metal tray (78.6%). Regarding the practice of impression decontamination, decontamination before sending to the dental technician was 91.2%, with dentists always performing decontamination in 71.1% of cases, the most used decontaminant being water (65.4%). Conclusion: This study determined the different impression materials frequently used in fixed prosthetics, as well as the criteria for their choice, the type of impression tray required, and the type of impression decontaminant used by private-sector dentists in Casablanca.