Current Trends towards Diagnosis of Enamel Opacities and its associated Aetiologies among Paediatric Dentists across India: A Questionnaire Based Survey

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the current trends towards the diagnosis of enamel opacities and its associated aetiologies among paediatric dentists across India. Methods: This was a web-based cross sectional survey. A questionnaire on the subject was prepared and sent via e-mail to be filled by those registered members of the Indian Society of Paediatric and Preventive Dentistry who operate in a private practice set-up. Analysis of the data obtained was done using descriptive statistics and chi-square test, with the level of significance set at p < 0.05. Results: 224 paediatric dentists out of 350 sent e-mails responded to the study, setting the response rate at 64%. The results of the study showed that the majority of the respondents (65.4%) did not sufficiently record patient history prior to diagnosis and treatment of the enamel opacities. The most commonly considered aetiological factor for opacities was recorded to be -initial carious lesion‖ (92.4%), while the least commonly considered aetiological factor was -other developmental disturbances‖ (40.1%). Most of the respondents (51.8%) requested more research and information on the topic of -molar-incisor hypomineralisation.‖ A significantly high number of respondents (86.2%) displayed a willingness to attend future scientific events on the subject. Conclusion: Within the limitations of this study, it can be concluded that the current trends regarding diagnostic methods used by paediatric dentists may be insufficient to reach an accurate diagnosis for the associated aetiology for enamel opacities. Scientific programs and symposiums can be conducted to enhance their knowledge about enamel opacities.