Knowledge and awareness of Turkish family physicians about children's oral health

Abstract

Background: Family physicians are primary health care providers and they mostly interact with pediatric patients before a pediatric dentist. This study aimed to investigate the knowledge and attitudes of family physicians, who play a key role in the preventive health care system, about pediatric oral health. Methods: An online survey consisting of questions about the sociodemographic status of family physicians (11 questions) and measuring the level of their knowledge about children's oral health (16 questions) was created. Four hundred family physicians (264 females, 136 males, mean age +/- SD for all variables: 33.42 +/- 7.63 years) participated in the survey. The Mann-Whitney U, Kruskal-Wallis, and multiple linear regression analysis tests were used for statistical analyses. Results: The median score of the correct answers to the questions about pediatric oral health was 10 on a scale of 0-16. The knowledge level of 48.3% of the family physicians was below the median value. The family physicians who were parents, had an educational background on the subject, and had more work experience had a higher level of knowledge about children's oral health than others (P< 0.001). Conclusion: The level of Turkish family physicians' knowledge about pediatric oral health is not sufficient. There is a need for a comprehensive training program on the subject for family physicians.