Knowledge and Role of Paediatricians/Paediatric Residents in Infant Oral Healthcare and Dental Home across Saudi Arabia

A Cross-Sectional Study

Bibliographic Data

ID15717604
AuthorsSatish Vishwanathaiah (0000-0002-8376-297X, Jazan University), Prabhadevi C Maganur (0000-0002-0959-2597, Jazan University, corresponding author), Dhalia Hassan Albar (Riyadh Elm University), Ranya Hassan Albar (Independent Researcher, Jeddah 45142, Saudi Arabia), Mohammed Jafer (0000-0003-2263-7187, Jazan University), Mohammed Abdurabu Jafer (Jazan University), Safeyah Abdulrahman Ali Baeshen (Jazan University), Safeyah A Baeshen (Jazan University), Imtinan Ahmed Madkhali (0000-0002-4948-1816, Jazan University), Enas Jaber Mohana (Jazan University), Jawaher Saleh Sahli (Jazan University), Alhanouf K Alnajdi (Jazan University), Manal Kinani Tahhah (Jazan University), Varsha Manoharan (0000-0002-8409-5996, KVG Dental College & Hospital)
Year2023
Volume10
Issue9
Pages1579-1579
Publication date2023-09-21
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueChildren (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2227-9067 • E-ISSN: 2227-9067
PublisherMultidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (PUBLISHER • CH)
DOI10.3390/children10091579
PMID37761540
OpenAlexW4386929127
LanguageEN
References cited27

The prevention of oral diseases in children is highly achievable through providing early exposure to oral healthcare habits, which would make children more receptive towards dental services. A cross-sectional study used a structured, self-explanatory questionnaire to evaluate the knowledge and role of 190 paediatricians and paediatric residents towards infant oral healthcare and the dental home across Saudi Arabia. The authors sent a link to the questionnaire, comprising 36 questions, by email, as a Google e-form. The response rate obtained was 87.36%. A major proportion (95.8%) of the respondents considered that paediatricians play an important role in promoting oral health. Around 45.8% of the practitioners recommended tooth brushing after the eruption of the first tooth. About 38% of the practitioners were unaware of the children's first dental visit. The majority (95.2%) agreed that there should be an increased awareness regarding home dental habits. Most of them (78.3%) examined the oral cavity for dental problems as a part of routine childcare, and the majority (75.3%) admitted that they did not evaluate fluoride needs. A statistically significant higher mean knowledge score was observed for practitioners with more than 30 years of experience (9.35 ± 2.29), and there was a significant positive correlation (r = 0.486) between the knowledge score and mean score for the role of paediatric practitioners. Overall, the study concluded that the knowledge of paediatricians and paediatric residents in SA towards infant oral healthcare and the dental home was inadequate, and their role in maintaining oral health was found to be moderately satisfactory

Cross-sectional study · Family medicine · Oral health · Oral hygiene · Tooth brushing · Dental Health and Care Utilization · Dental Research and COVID-19 · Dentistry · Global Maternal and Child Health · Medicine · Pediatrics

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