Background:Oral cancer signifies a public health concern of international importance. Early detection of oral cancer can improve the prognosis and the 5-year survival rate.Objective:The aim of this study was to assess the level of oral cancer knowledge, opinion, attitudes and practices among dentists working at the primary oral health care centers in Kuwait.Methods:In this cross-sectional study, self-reported questionnaire was distributed to the dentists working at the primary oral health care centers in Kuwait. A total of 289 dentists participated in the present study. The questionnaire included 23- questions on oral cancer knowledge, opinion, attitudes and practices.Results:The mean age of the dentists was 35.2 ± 10.9 years. Approximately, all dentists (99.7%) were aware of the major risk factors that were most likely associated with oral cancer. Overall, majority of the participants knew the most common form of oral cancer (80.6%), most common site (80.3%) and the likely lesions associated with oral cancer occurrence (87.9%). A large number of dental practitioners (81%) would routinely refer a patient with a suspicious lesion to a specialist. Nearly one-third (32%) reviewed their patients’ oral cancer risk factors. Approximately two-thirds (62%) assessed the use of tobacco in their practice. Almost, all (92.4%) were interested in attending continuing education courses on oral cancer.Conclusions:Majority of the participants presented good knowledge about various aspects of oral cancer. More continuing education programs on risk factors and diagnosis of oral cancer should be organized to train the dentists. Oral cancer screening should be a routine procedure for the high risk patients at the primary oral health care centers in Kuwait.
The School Oral Health Program (SOHP), Kuwait, is a joint venture between the Ministry of Health, Kuwait, and Forsyth Institute, Cambridge, Mass., USA. This program provides oral health education, prevention and treatment to almost 280,000 public school children in Kuwait. Services are delivered through a system of center- and school-based clinics and preventive mobile teams. One of the recent developments is the effective use of portable dental units for the delivery of preventive care to children in schools without the need for children to go to dental clinics. Preventive procedures performed under this program are the biannual application of fluoride varnish and the placement of pit and fissure sealants on newly erupted permanent molars and premolars. During recent years, the SOHP has improved its coverage of children, with prevention up to 80%. This has resulted in a considerable reduction in treatment needs, which is evident from the reduced number of composite restorations performed under this program during the last 6 years. This indicates that the disease level is on a decline, which can be confirmed from the results of the ongoing National Oral Health Survey on Kuwaiti school children.
Objective: The purpose of this study was to describe the oral health, oral hygiene, and oral health habits of Kuwaiti infants and toddlers. Subjects and Methods: This cross-sectional study of a convenience sample included 336 infants and toddlers (156 females and 180 males). The teeth of the infants and toddlers were examined using a mirror and a light source. Oral hygiene was recorded, and then all teeth were cleaned with gauze and examined for caries. Parents were interviewed regarding their children's feeding habits, brushing or tooth cleaning, and night feeding. The evaluation criteria for caries were sound teeth, noncavitated lesions, cavitated lesions, filled teeth, and missing teeth. Results: The mean age was 11.1 ± 2.4 months (range 2-23). Of the 336 subjects, 247 (73%) had good oral hygiene, 64 (19%) had parents who brushed or cleaned their infants' and toddlers' teeth; 288 (86%) were bottle-fed, and 290 (86%) were also night fed. The mean number of teeth upon examination was 4.6 ± 2.7 (range 2-8). Three percent of the infants and toddlers had caries. Cavitated lesions were present in 6 patients (1.8%), while 4 (1.2%) had noncavitated lesions. The mean d1d2t (caries teeth: noncavitated lesions and cavitated lesions) was 0.03 ± 0.3, and the mean d1d2s (carious surfaces) was 0.07 ± 0.5. Conclusion: The caries prevalence and severity was low in infants and toddlers. However, poor oral health practices and habits as well as unhealthy feeding practices that could affect the future caries prevalence were noted.
Objective: This study evaluated the effectiveness of sealant retention and caries prevention with and without primer and bond below the fissure sealant among Kuwaiti schoolchildren. Subjects and Methods: This clinical trial used fissure sealant that was applied to four sound first permanent molars on 78 children. All the teeth were cleaned with pumice and rubber cups, isolated with rubber dams, and etched for 20 s. In a split-mouth study design, for the test teeth (n = 156), primer and bond (3M Scotchbond Multi-Purpose Plus System primer and bond) were applied below the sealant, and for the control teeth (n = 156), only sealant (Delton Plus) was applied. The number of tooth surfaces included was 480. Due to loss to follow-up, only 60 children were evaluated at 5 years for sealant retention and caries. The evaluation criteria were: completely retained sealant, complete or partial sealant retention, and caries. Results: In teeth sealed with primer and bond, 47 (19.6%) tooth surfaces had completely retained sealant, 60 (9.2%) teeth had partially retained sealant, while in 51 (21.3%) caries was prevented and 120 (50%) tooth surfaces were carious or filled. In teeth sealed without primer and bond, 25% (60 tooth surfaces) had completely retained sealant, 6% (14 teeth surfaces) had partially retained sealant, 26% (54 teeth surfaces) showed caries prevention, and 49.6% (119 tooth surfaces) were carious or filled. There was no difference between teeth sealed with primer and bond (120 teeth) and teeth sealed without primer and bond (120 teeth) in completely retained sealant (p = 0.15), complete or partial sealant retention (p = 0.6), caries prevented (p = 0.37), and caries (p = 0.93). Conclusion: Caries prevention was not enhanced in teeth sealed with primer and bond sealant compared with those sealed with sealant alone.
Background: Oral cancer awareness among newly graduated dentists could have a substantial impact in the prevention and early detection of oral cancer. Objective: This survey was undertaken to assess the knowledge, opinion, attitudes, and practices on oral cancer among newly graduated dentists in Kuwait. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, self-reported questionnaire was distributed to the newly graduated dentists. Of the 310 dentists who participated, 171 (55.2%) were males and 139 (44.8%) were females. The questionnaire included 23-questions on oral cancer knowledge, opinion, attitudes, and practices. Results: The mean age of the dentists was 25.8 ± 2.4 years and their mean years of experience 1.5 ± 1.7 years. Overall, a great majority of dentists (95.8%) recognized tobacco use and alcohol consumption as very important risk factors for oral cancer occurrence. Almost all of participants were aware of the most common form of oral cancer (94.2%). Most of the dentists correctly identified the most common site of oral cancer (93.5%). Majority of the participants recognized the most commonly associated lesions with oral cancer (91.6%). While 37.4% of the dentists agreed that they were adequately trained in oral cancer screening, most (89.7%) believed that patients should have mandatory oral cancer screening at the clinics. Also, majority (95.8%) expressed their willingness to attend continuing education and training courses in cancer screening and prevention. Most of the dentists (81.9%) referred a patient with a suspicious lesion to a specialist. Conclusions: Majority of the dentists were aware and knowledgeable about various aspects of oral cancer. There is a need to emphasize and reinforce the training programs in oral cancer education mainly in prevention and early detection. Continuing education programs and workshops are highly recommended to raise awareness of the dentists on risk factors and diagnosis of oral cancer.
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