Assessment of Dentists’ Knowledge Concerning the Management of Pregnant Women in the Dental Office

Abstract

Introduction: Pregnancy is a physiological condition characterized by multiple changes in the entire woman's body, including the oral cavity. Gingival hyperplasia, gingivitis, pyogenic granulomas and some salivary changes are common conditions in pregnant women.Purpose: To assess the dental practitioner's medical knowledge regarding the dental maneuvers allowed during pregnancy and the drug prescriptions for these patients in the dental office. Methodology:In the present study, 128 active dentists with professional experience of one to 30 years were included. An online questionnaire was applied using the www. isondaje.ro platform. The questionnaire was intended to be anonymous, with responses being collected online. The first set of questions assessed the socio-demographic data, the specialization, and the professional experience. The second set of questions referred to the therapeutic approach of the pregnant women: the type of treatment and the period during pregnancy when they chose to perform the dental treatments. The third set of questions referred to the dental X-rays recommendation in pregnant women. The last category of questions addressed to the medication prescribed or administered to pregnant patients. Results:The data were quantified by calculating the arithmetic averages. Most participants had experience in the medical dental practice, therefore the answers were relevant for this study. More than half of the doctors surveyed stated that they would only treat a pregnant woman in emergency situations. Less than half would treat a pulp pathology only in emergency, but a pulp gangrene at any time during pregnancy. Regarding the extractions, the majority of the dentists would prefer to delay the treatment. Conclusion:An important number of dentists have insufficient knowledge related to the dental treatments that can be performed in a pregnant woman. Therefore, post-graduate courses are required in order to up-date the knowledge of dentists.