Development of a multi-criteria decision-making-based assessment model for dental material selection: Engine-driven nickel-titanium instruments case study

Objectives The aims of this study are (i) to propose specific selection criteria related to NiTi instruments for dental practitioners and (ii) to objectively assess the NiTi instruments. Materials and methods The steps of the methodology are as follows: Step 1: Delphi method was employed to reach a consensus on criteria defined according to the literature review and a group of panelists. Step 2: Smart pairwise comparisons were employed to rank the proposed criteria. Step 3: Borda voting was employed to determine the weights of the proposed criteria. Step 4: To determine assessment scores, Simple Additive Weighting was employed. Step 5: Reliability and validity checks were made by simulation. Results Specific criteria classified under dimensions were proposed and weighted for the NiTi instrument assessment. In this context, an assessment model was proposed and validated. Conclusions The proposed assessment model for NiTi instruments could aid to make the decision-making process as systematic, transparent, and reproducible as possible not only for dental practitioners but also for healthcare professionals. Also, this proposed model can represent a reference framework for further MCDM studies which can rank or classify materials in medical science.

Automated summary

This study proposed specific selection criteria for NiTi instruments and objectively assessed them using smart methods and simulations, establishing an assessment model that can be used by dental practitioners and healthcare professionals.