Abstract
Pediatricians have an important role in early identification and prevention of oral health, but they reported lack of knowledge in this field.Aimthe aim of the study is to evaluate the knowledge and attitudes of Lebanese pediatricians regarding children’s oral health.Materials and methodsA cross sectional study including 100 Lebanese pediatricians was performed. They answered 21 questions. Three variables were taken into consideration: The number of years in practice, the place and type of practice.Results73.6% of pediatricians with more than 5 years in practice, 63.5% of pediatricians with an exclusive private practice and 74.7% of pediatricians working in cities/big villages believe that a child is able to brush properly his teeth before the age of 5 years. Only 27.6% of pediatricians with more than 5 years in practice, or working in cities/big villages and 12.7% of those having an exclusive private practice admit that white and black spots are signs of affected teeth.DiscussionMajority of our pediatricians reported that bottle feeding is associated with early childhood caries. They do not believe that the maternal milk can harm the baby’s teeth. Concerning the transmission from mother to child of the bacteria responsible for dental caries, the reported percentages were not statistically different in relation to pediatricians’ years of experience, type and place of practice.Pediatricians who are academically affiliated were more likely to report that fluoride is safe compared to those practicing in the private sector (P = 0,012). The majority believe that there is a relation between systematic manifestation such as fever and eruption of primary teeth.ConclusionThe Lebanese pediatricians have an acceptable level of knowledge in children’s oral health, but should be better informed and motivated toward dental and oral issues.How to cite this articleNassif N, Noueiri B, Bacho R, Kassak K. Awareness of Lebanese Pediatricians regarding Children’s Oral Health. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2017;10(1):82-88.
Highlights
Pediatricians are the primary care providers, and are considered to be the first health encounter for infants during which they are thoroughly examined and necessary health education is provided to parents
Demographic information of the study revealed that 87% of pediatricians had more than 5 years of experience; 60% had a specialization; 83% worked in cities/big villages, 13% worked in small villages; and 4% worked in both
Pediatricians should be better informed about the age at which children can properly brush their teeth, identifying early signs of dental caries by recognizing white lesions as an early sign of teeth decay, the association between breastfeeding and dental caries, importance of dental fissure sealants, and the absence of association between teething and systematic symptoms
Summary
Pediatricians are the primary care providers, and are considered to be the first health encounter for infants during which they are thoroughly examined and necessary health education is provided to parents. Provision of oral health assessment by pediatricians is viewed to be essential for both prevention and early detection of oral conditions.[1] Usually, dental examination remains rarely included as a part of the medical visits. Since pediatricians are the first health care providers, they must include the dental exam during the medical visit. They have an important role in early identification and prevention of health in general and dental health in specific. They must be able to give recommendations from the simplest preventive dental treatments till the prevention of early childhood caries (ECC).[3]
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