Current Clinical Practices and Digital Technology Adoption in Provisional Prosthodontics: A Cross-Sectional Survey Among Romanian Dental Practitioners
George Ion, Ştefan Milicescu, Ștefan-Dimitrie Albu, Dan Alexandru Slăvescu, Cristina-Crenguţa Albu, Claudia Florina Bogdan-AndreescuBackground/Objectives: Provisional restorations are essential for maintaining oral function, esthetics, periodontal health, and patient comfort during prosthodontic treatment. This study evaluated current clinical practices, material preferences, fabrication techniques, and digital technology adoption among Romanian dental practitioners. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted between January and March 2025. The questionnaire was sent directly to a predefined closed list of 150 licensed dental practitioners, of whom 95 submitted complete responses (response rate: 63.3%). The questionnaire assessed professional characteristics, materials and fabrication techniques used for provisional restorations, attitudes toward digital technologies, educational sources, and clinical complications. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, association tests, and exploratory multivariable logistic regression. Results: Composite resin (77.9%) and acrylic resin (65.3%) were the most frequently reported materials. Direct fabrication was used by 51.6% of respondents, while 42.1% used indirect techniques. An affirmative response to the general item concerning current digital technology use was provided by 47.4% of participants. Faster and more efficient fabrication and superior intraoral adaptation were the principal perceived advantages of 3D-printed restorations, whereas high equipment and material costs represented the main perceived disadvantage. The exploratory multivariable analysis identified no statistically significant independent associations with digital technology utilization. Debonding (44.2%) and fracture (42.1%) were the most frequently reported complications. Conclusions: Among the surveyed practitioners, conventional materials and fabrication techniques remained widely used, while digital workflows showed incomplete integration. Larger, representative studies using clearly defined technology-specific outcomes are needed to evaluate the determinants and clinical implications of digital adoption in provisional prosthodontics.