Knowledge and Management of Pediatricians About Children’s Oral Health

Abstract

Objective : This study aims to analyze the knowledge level of pediatricians in Turkey regarding dentistry, oral-dental health, some common oral diseases and to evaluate their approach to their patients from a dental point of view.
 Materials and Methods: The survey, which has been prepared with 18 questions on Google forms, was sent to 1830 pediatricians. Initially, pediatricians were requested to respond to questions about demographic information, which were followed by questions about dentist examination, oral hygiene, infant nutrition, primary tooth decay and prevention methods, dental anatomy, some malocclusions, and some common oral-dental diseases.
 Resultsː The survey was answered by 261 pediatricians. The number of physicians who didn’t know that cariogenic microorganisms can be transmitted from mother to baby was 163(62.7%). It was determined that the pediatricians chose the option “I don’t know” about protective and preventive applications such as fissure sealants(65.1%), topical fluoride applications(30.2%), space maintainer/child prosthesis (62.8%) and hence they don’t have sufficient information.
 Conclusionː Lack of information and training seems to limit the role of pediatricians in children's oral and dental health. It should be ensured that there are stronger cooperation and communication between pediatric dentists and pediatricians. 
 Key Words: Preventive Dentistry, Oral Health, Pediatricians, Dental Care for Children, Pediatric Dentistry.