Knowledge of and Attitudes towards Preventive Dental Care among Iranian Dentists

Abstract

ObjectivesTo assess Iranian dentists’ knowledge of and attitudes towards preventive dental care.MethodsA questionnaire survey was conducted at two nationwide annual dental congresses in 2004 and 2005 in Tehran, Iran. Dentists’ level of knowledge was assessed based on their responses on a Likert scale (0–4) to nine statements on preventive dental care. Higher scores indicated more accurate knowledge. Dentists’ attitudes towards preventive dental care were rated based on responses on a Likert scale (1–7) to nine pairs of bipolar adjectives. The respondents were to choose the response which best described their opinion. Higher scores indicated more positive attitudes. Of 1033 responding dentists, 980 (64% men) were deemed eligible for this study. Statistical evaluation was by t-test and the Chi-square test.ResultsHighest ratings were obtained for knowledge of the role of sugar consumption (Mean±SD: 3.73±0.60), sealants (3.58±0.68), and water fluoridation (3.35±0.81) in caries prevention; the lowest for their knowledge of the superiority of the use of fluoride toothpaste over technique of brushing (1.11±1.09). Dentists’ attitudes towards preventive dental care appeared most positive regarding its usefulness (Useful — Useless; 6.67±0.94), value (Valuable — Worthless; 6.59±0.98) to the community and for its status as a scientific (Scientific — Unscientific; 6.47±1.06) subject. Overall, female dentists had more favourable attitudes towards preventive dental care than male colleagues.ConclusionsPreventive dentistry should be emphasised in dental education in order to update dentists’ knowledge and attitudes regarding preventive dental care.

Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Preventive Dentistry Among Private Dental Practitioners in Vadodara, India

“…Attendance in CDE programmes on preventive dentistry was not found to significantly affect practitioners' knowledge on preventive dentistry. This observation was in concordance with the study results of Tseenjav B (21) among Mongolian dentists and Ghasemi H et al (7) among Iranian dentists that reported of no impact on knowledge level of the dentists through participation in CDE programmes on preventive dentistry. However, one cannot overlook a noteworthy fact that in the present study, above-average knowledge on preventive dentistry was possessed only by those who had attended CDE programmes in the recent past or within last 2-5 years.…”

“…No significant difference was found in the knowledge level of dentists engaged in various levels of professional reading. Similar finding was reported by Ghasemi H et al (7). However, in the present study, extensive professional reading including reading national and international dental journals were found to exert a positive effect on the knowledge level of dentists as evident by the finding that only those engaged in such extensive reading were found to have above average knowledge on preventive dentistry.…”

“…It was found that independent selfemployed private dental practice (solo-practice) was the predominant practice type among private practitioners in Vadodara. Majority of the dentists (56.10%) were found to have a work experience of 1-10 years which is comparable to the findings reported Figure 2: perceived barriers by dentists in rendering preventive dental care Figure 3: Scatter plot for correlation between knowledge scores and attitude scores of participants knowledge, attitude and practice of preventive dentistry among private dental practitioners in vadodara, india by Ghasemi H et al (7) in which 56% of private dental practitioners had a work experience of 1-8 years.…”

“…Nearly three-fourths of the respondents were found to engage themselves in reading national and international journals compared to only 43% Iranian dental practitioners engaged in such extensive reading reported by Ghasemi H et al (7).…”

Does Dental Insurance Make a Difference in Type of Service Received by Iranian Dentate Adults?

“…In Iran, dentists have reported positive attitudes towards preventive care,36 which is a good starting point. However, the same dentists considered performing preventive measures not economically beneficial 36,37. This may have influenced on dentists’ willingness to provide such treatments for the present respondents as well.…”