Assessment of Paediatricians’ Oral Health Knowledge, Behaviour, and Attitude in the United Arab Emirates

Abstract

Aim. Paediatricians’ oral health knowledge is essential for early detection of disease, appropriate advice, and proper referral. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the knowledge, behaviour, and attitude of paediatricians practicing in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) regarding children’s oral health. Study Design. Cross-sectional survey. Methods. A questionnaire consisting of 16 questions was completed after piloting by a sample of randomly selected registered UAE paediatricians. Scores of knowledge (out of 9), behaviour (out of 4), and attitude (out of 3) were calculated. Statistical analysis was performed using Shapiro–Wilk, Mann–Whitney U, and Kruskal–Wallis tests. Statistical significance was set as P<0.05. Results. A total of 185 surveys were completed. Nearly half of the paediatricians (95 (51.4%)) identified the appropriate age for child’s first dental visit; while 88 (47.6%) believed that the appropriate age to start brushing was after the eruption of the primary molars (2-3 yrs), and 132 (71.4%) believed that the ideal time to give sugary snacks is in between meals. 123 (66.5%) participants said that they would prescribe antibiotics to treat local dental sepsis without fever. Experienced paediatricians and those trained in Western countries had significantly better knowledge about oral health (P values 0.040 and 0.031 consecutively). The scores of attitude, behaviour, and knowledge were correlated, and a positive relationship between the scores of knowledge and behaviour was found (r = 0.241, P=0.001) and between scores of attitude and behaviour (r = 0.197, P=0.007). Conclusions. The results demonstrated a general lack of knowledge of oral health aspects by UAE paediatricians. Furthermore, continuous education in the subject is recommended.

Oral Health Knowledge and Experience of Pediatricians and Pediatric Residents in Kuwait: A Nationwide Cross-Sectional Survey Study

“…They were unaware of the transmission of cariogenic bacteria from mother to child and the international recommendations on specific interventions such as fluoride therapy and dental sealants. Other studies have documented similar findings in the knowledge of preventive measures [ 31 – 35 ], but a better knowledge of transmission was reported in the US and European studies [ 20 , 30 ]. Regarding the first dental visit, AAP and AAPD recommend that all children have their initial dental visit no later than their first birthday [ 2 ].…”

“…They believed that it should be performed during the child's physical examination. This result was high compared to what was previously reported [ 20 , 30 – 35 ]. According to other researchers, half of their responders recommended children's first dental visits be between the ages of 1 and 3 [ 21 , 22 , 29 , 30 ].…”

“…The result was inconsistent with Girish Babu et al's study [ 38 ]. The finding was not investigated in previous similar studies [ 21 , 26 , 29 – 35 ]. In general, many pediatricians believe that sugar-free medications are not as sweet as sugar-containing medications and are more expensive [ 38 , 39 ].…”

“…Variable rates were previously reported for the examination of children's teeth. Rates ranged from 90% in the US and Canadian studies [ 21 , 26 ] to 60% in the Saudi and Emirati studies [ 31 , 35 ] and lower rates in some Indian studies [ 32 , 33 ]. Most pediatricians in the present survey (85%) believed that assessing dental problems and counseling on their prevention should be part of the routine childcare visit.…”

Association between ethnicity and health knowledge among the floating population in China

“…However, a systematic scoping review indicated unavailable health knowledge was reported in the literature [ 34 ]. Studies documented lack of requisite health knowledge in clinicians [ 35 ], Nepal diabetes patients [ 36 ], paediatricians [ 37 ], Australian pharmacists [ 38 ], health professionals [ 39 ], primary care physicians [ 40 ], and nurses working in heart failure units [ 41 ]. Even worse, the gaps in oral health knowledge among a sample of pediatricians were reported [ 42 ].…”