{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,12]],"date-time":"2026-06-12T11:56:56Z","timestamp":1781265416885,"version":"3.54.1"},"reference-count":36,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"6","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,12]],"date-time":"2026-06-12T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1781222400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Dentistry Journal"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: The management of white spot caries lesions (WSCLs) presents a clinical challenge due to a lack of standardized protocols. This study aimed to evaluate the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of dental practitioners in Russia regarding the diagnosis and treatment of WSCLs. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted from October 2024 to July 2025 among 397 dental professionals in Russia. A validated questionnaire assessed four domains: demographics, knowledge, attitudes, and clinical practices concerning WSCL management. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Kruskal\u2013Wallis tests, and Spearman\u2019s correlation. Results: The majority of respondents were females (83%), with over half having less than five years of experience (55%). A majority of the practitioners (62.5%) demonstrated a good level of knowledge (mean score 12.8 \u00b1 2.2). Knowledge was significantly better among female practitioners (p &lt; 0.001) and inversely correlated with years of clinical experience (p &lt; 0.001). Attitudes towards minimally invasive treatment were mainly positive (mean score 13.5 \u00b1 2.6), with 86% of respondents showing a positive score (&gt;10 points). While awareness of minimally invasive techniques like resin infiltration (84%) and remineralization (79.1%) was high, clinical practice varied. Remineralization was the most frequently used treatment (68% used casein phosphopeptide\u2013amorphous calcium phosphate and 62% used fluoride), whereas resin infiltration was used by 46% and microabrasion by only 5% of the respondents. A majority of dentists (52%) preferred monitoring lesions rather than immediate intervention. Conclusions: Russian dental practitioners possess good theoretical knowledge and positive attitudes toward contemporary, minimally invasive management of WSCLs. However, a significant gap exists between knowledge and clinical practice, particularly concerning the use of resin infiltration and microabrasion. These findings underscore the need for continuous education on the topic.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/dj14060365","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,12]],"date-time":"2026-06-12T09:49:51Z","timestamp":1781257791000},"page":"365","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Dentists Regarding the Diagnosis and Management of White Spot Lesions"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"14","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1073-7693","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Nina","family":"Novozhilova","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Therapeutic Dentistry, Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (Sechenov University), 119991 Moscow, Russia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0006-2021-4673","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Anastasia","family":"Mun","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Therapeutic Dentistry, Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (Sechenov University), 119991 Moscow, Russia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4494-2644","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Maria","family":"Polyakova","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Therapeutic Dentistry, Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (Sechenov University), 119991 Moscow, Russia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Irina","family":"Makeeva","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Therapeutic Dentistry, Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (Sechenov University), 119991 Moscow, Russia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Anna","family":"Mikheikina","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Therapeutic Dentistry, Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (Sechenov University), 119991 Moscow, Russia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Inna","family":"Sokhova","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Therapeutic Dentistry, Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (Sechenov University), 119991 Moscow, Russia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3774-3070","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Alexandr","family":"Zaytsev","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Foreign Languages for Professional Purposes, Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (Sechenov University), 119991 Moscow, Russia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4445-0858","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ksenia","family":"Babina","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Therapeutic Dentistry, Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (Sechenov University), 119991 Moscow, Russia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,12]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"170","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1600-0528.2007.00347.x","article-title":"The International Caries Detection and Assessment System (ICDAS): An Integrated System for Measuring Dental Caries","volume":"35","author":"Ismail","year":"2007","journal-title":"Community Dent. 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