Abstract
Background and Objective:Diagnosis and treatment of chronic orofacial pain are one of the most challenging issues in dentistry. The purpose of this study was to assess the knowledge of general dentists regarding orofacial pain in Kermanshah, Iran.Methods:This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2016 including general dentists of Kermanshah city. A researcher-designed questionnaire was administered to collect demographic data as well as measuring knowledge of the dentists in four sections including etiology, clinical presentations, physical examination, and treatment of chronic orofacial pain. The questionnaire had acceptable validity (content validity > 0.9) and reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient= 0.857 for test re-test; Cronbach’s alpha= 0.72 for internal consistency). The data were analyzed by the SPSS software (ver. 18.0) using Spearman’s correlation coefficient (P < 0.05).Results:There were 121 male (72.9%) and 45 female (27.1%) dentists with mean (SD) age of 40.55 (8.03) years and mean (SD) practice history of 13.28 (8.43) years. Mean (SD) knowledge score was 10.54 (2.36) (maximum possible score= 15). 48.2% of dentists had good knowledge in overall. 48.2% about etiology, 45.2% about clinical presentations, 36.1% about physical examination, and 7.8% about treatment had good knowledge. Knowledge had direct and significant relationship with age (r = 0.179; P = 0.022) and practice history (r = 0.18; P = 0.021).Conclusion:The results showed that the studied dentists did not have enough knowledge about chronic orofacial pain especially in the treatment field. Therefore, it is recommended to implement educational programs to improve their knowledge.
Highlights
Orofacial pains are defined as pains in the face or mouth
Chronic orofacial pains are more common in some special groups
The objective of this study was to evaluate the level of awareness of general dentists of Kermanshah, Iran about chronic orofacial pains
Summary
Orofacial pains are defined as pains in the face or mouth. Facial pain is originated from locations under canthomeatal line, superior to the neck, and anterior to the ears. Chronic orofacial pain is categorized into seven categories: neurologic, vascular, musculoskeletal, oral and perioral, psychosomatic, connective tissue disorders, and referral pains. This method of categorization is a practical method for dentists [2]. Chronic orofacial pains are more common in some special groups. Orofacial pains are more common among those who present to dentistry clinics as 53.8% [5] and 44.5% among those who play musical instruments [6]. Diagnosis and treatment of chronic orofacial pain are one of the most challenging issues in dentistry. The purpose of this study was to assess the knowledge of general dentists regarding orofacial pain in Kermanshah, Iran
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