Türki̇ye’de Bi̇r Grup Ai̇le Heki̇mi̇ni̇n Erken Çocukluk Çürükleri̇ Hakkinda Bi̇lgi̇, Tutum Ve Yaklaşimlarinin Değerlendi̇ri̇lmesi̇

Abstract

Objective:The purpose of this study is first to evaluate the knowledge level of primary care practitioners who we think will play an active role in the prevention of early childhood caries, as they see babies, expectant moms and mothers more than dentists and second, to indirectly increase the awareness of primary care practitioners on this issue.Methods: This descriptive study consisted of 178 participants out of 830 primary care practitioners who attended AHEKON10 international congress from different cities in Turkey and gave consents to participate in the study. Participants were directed to a 38 question-survey that measured their level of knowledge about oral and dental health. 38 of the 178 survey forms were excluded from the study because they were incomplete.Result: Of the 140 primary care providers participated in the study, 54.3% were male and 45.7% were female. 82.1% of 140 primary care providers who participated in our survey had more than 10 years of professional experience. On the other hand, 13.6% of the participants said that their health centers had dental clinics, while 86.4% did not. 92.6% of respondents believed that primary care providers played a role in preventing tooth decay and in ensuring the oral health of infants. Only 97.4% of respondents believed that their level of knowledge about oral and dental health was insufficient, while 90.7% wanted to receive training in oral and dental health. Conclusion:Considering the data of our study, we found that primary care providers participated in the study did not have an adequate level of knowledge about ECC and were also willing to have information about ECC. As a result, primary care providers need to be more informed about this issue in order to play an active role in preventing their ECCs.