Medical, Dental, and Nursing Students’ Knowledge about Early Childhood Oral Health Care

Abstract

Gaps in knowledge of physicians and nurses about early childhood oral health care were reported and are likely due to the poorly focused education on oral health issues; therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess the knowledge level of Qassim University medical, dental and nursing students about early childhood oral health care and its relation to demographic variables, students’ perceived knowledge, satisfaction with their knowledge and interest in further education about the topic. A total of 571 medical, dental, and nursing students received a questionnaire that included demographic questions, questions to assess knowledge level of the students about early childhood oral health care, and questions to assess their perceived knowledge level, satisfaction with their knowledge and interest in further education about the topic. Results of the study revealed that knowledge of dental students was highest (score 7.72 out of 10) followed by nursing students (4.79), and medical students (4.43). Additionally, students with a higher level of perceived knowledge were more likely to score higher. In view of the inadequate knowledge level of medical and nursing students about early childhood oral health care when compared to dental students, improvements in medical and nursing education programs are necessary at Qassim University.

Levels and correlates of knowledge of teething among Saudi Arabian families

“…This perhaps means that the concept of establishing an early dental home is not practiced in Saudi Arabia as providing anticipatory guidance regarding teething should be an important component of the first dental visit ( American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, 2018 ). Consequently, other health professionals like medical doctors, pediatricians, and gynecologists, particularly those serving the general population and working within the ministry-of-health facilities, can utilize the opportunity to educate parents or expectant mothers about teething during antenatal checkups and immunization visits, which are scheduled regularly and are free of charge ( Kakatkar et al, 2012 , Al-Hatalani & Al-Haj Ali, 2019 ).…”

The Behavior of Two Types of Upper Removable Retainers—Our Clinical Experience

“…This study and others that we have carried out previously lead us toward giving special importance to stimulating patient compliance [ 43 ], training patients on how to store and properly maintain these removable retainers, trying to always make them aware of the fact that non-compliance retention favors relapse, the treatment instituted being thus in vain. However, given the increased prevalence of malocclusions, their early onset often in early childhood, involving several factors (e.g., dental caries and its complications, vicious oral habits), the high risk of relapse of malocclusions and that many children and adolescents are not aware of the importance of the retention phase, we consider it very important to implement a prevention program in pedodontics and orthodontics starting with pre-school children, program that requires close collaboration between parents, educators, and the professional team—pedodontists, orthodontists, and pediatricians [ 44 , 45 ].…”

What do Parents Know About Oral Health and Care for Preschool Children in the Central Region of Saudi Arabia?

“…It has been reported that physicians and nurses have the opportunity to provide oral care for preschool children seven times more frequently than dentists, especially those at high-risk for ECC as a result of well-child visits [22]. Interaction between members of the medical and dental communities is consequently crucial to help refer preschool children at high risk for ECC, especially those who do not have a dental home but have an established medical one [23,24]. Role of the media can also be enhanced to convey the message in an everyday basis to a huge audience; for example, TV commercials for toothpaste can include some information about the fluoride concentration and how to perform tooth brushing, as a demonstration, for a preschool child, as it is relatively difficult to expect parents to read that from tubes of toothpaste or to digest the information presented on dental health leaflets to improve their knowledge [25].…”