Knowledge, attitude and practices of Pediatricians on preventive factors of oral Health in early Childhood

Introduction: The field of dentistry has been extended to include infant care, in an attempt to include early education and preventive measures. The pediatrician has a key role in the initial guidelines on oral health, is the first professional who should give directions for the child, therefore more interaction between dentistry and pediatric medicine is essential in order for these professionals to be apt to make evaluations in general preventive measures for caries, periodontal disease and malocclusions. Materials and Methods: This observational descriptive cross-sectional study aims to determine the level of knowledge, attitudes and practices in Oral Health Prevention through a self-administered questionnaire of pediatricians practicing in Asuncion and the department Central. Results: 92 pediatricians from the Health Services of the Sanitary Region XI and XVIII were included, mean age 29 +/- 4.9 years, 62% is female. Most of the participants (77%) were from the central department. Average year of graduation is 6.5 years; 78% between 1-5 years. The number of patients seen per day is > 20 in 53% of cases. It is observed that 74% of pediatricians have inadequate practice regarding oral examination, fluoride prescription; 49% have enough knowledge about risk factors for major oral diseases; and 100% have a favorable attitude toward their role in the prevention of oral diseases. No association between age and level of pediatrician knowledge and practice was found, there is no association between practice and years of practice, however pediatricians with fewer years of practice have better knowledge (p = 0.009); and pediatricians with fewer patients in a day have better knowledge (p = 0.010) and practices (p = 0.035). Conclusions: We highlight the lack of agreement between knowledge on preventive measures and practice in the pediatricians.