Abstract
Introduction: Aesthetics is an important attribute to man’s overall view of himself .The term “tooth discoloration‟ refers to the fading away of the natural colour of the tooth or replacement with a stain, usually of a different colour to the point of notice. Tooth discoloration has been classified as extrinsic or intrinsic. Tetracycline staining which is characteristic in children born of mothers who were on tetracycline medication. These children develop a brown staining on most of their deciduous and permanent teeth. A variety of treatment methods including tooth-whitening options have been sought. The aim of this KAP survey was to assess the knowledge , attitude and practice of various clinical practitioners both undergraduate and postgraduate regarding Tetracycline tooth staining, its aetiology and treatment modalities.
 Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted across various Dental Clinics and Hospitals in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.Theself-administered questionnaire was written in English was adapted based on many other previous surveys of similar nature. It was circulated as digital questionnaires (GoogleForms) It had 15 items, 5 in the knowledge, 5 practice components and 5 in the attitude component, and took about 10 min to complete.
 Results: Among the 250 responses it was observed that 66.7% of the respondents were endodontists and the remaining 33.3% were general practitioners.33.3% of respondents had an experience of 2 to 6 years while 16.7% of respondents had a 8 year or more experience. All the respondents were based in and around Chennai, Tamil Nadu. The mean Knowledge score was 70%, while mean attitude and practice scores varied between 87% to 91% and were considerably much better.
 Conclusion: The fabrication of a detailed treatment protocol for the treatment of tetracycline based tooth staining in various clinical scenarios and the standardization of such a protocol, while also upgrading the basic theoretical knowledge is necessary. This could in tern help delivering better treatment to the patient while considering both the affordability as well as aesthetic satisfaction of the patient.
Highlights
Aesthetics is an important attribute to man’s overall view of himself .The term “tooth discoloration‟ refers to the fading away of the natural colour of the tooth or replacement with a stain, usually of a different colour to the point of notice
33.3% of respondents correctly answered that tetracycline stains were internal in nature.50% answered that Doxycycline was an alternative drug to tetracycline.83.3% responded saying that treatment is tetracycline is best treated with a combination of external bleaching and veneering
50% of respondents believed that a combination of internal and external bleaching was the best treatment modality for treatment of tetracycline stains.66.7% patients agreed that patients wit tetracycline staining often complain of tooth discoloration and sensitivity.50% of respondent agreed that patients can be prescribed tetracycline once the teeth mature.66.7% of respondents believed that tooth bleaching made a significant impact on the treatment of tetracycline stained teeth, while the same number of respondents believe that patient education played an important role
Summary
Aesthetics is an important attribute to man’s overall view of himself .The term “tooth discoloration‟ refers to the fading away of the natural colour of the tooth or replacement with a stain, usually of a different colour to the point of notice. Tetracycline staining which is characteristic in children born of mothers who were on tetracycline medication at the time of their pregnancy is intrinsic [5]. These children develop a brown staining on most of their deciduous and permanent teeth. A yellow discoloration is observed on the tooth surface This occurs as a result of the natural aging process of the enamel and dentine tissues
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