
Adherence to American Academy of Pediatrics' Oral Health Guidelines by Pediatricians and Pediatrics Residents in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Methods: Participants completed a questionnaire comprised of three sections: (1) demographic and professional characteristics; (2) oral health knowledge and practices; and (3) adherence to AAP oral health guidelines and barriers against adherence. The association between knowledge and practices scores and demographic and profes- sional characteristics was assessed using Mann Whitney and Kruskal Wallis tests.
Results: One-third of 1,261 pediatricians and pediatrics residents returned complete questionnaires. The mean±(standard deviation [SD]) knowledge score was 5.0±2.4 (out of 12), and the mean±(SD) practice score was 13.4±5.4 (out of 26). Only 8.3 percent reported following the AAP oral health guidelines, and the barriers against this included lack of awareness (60.9 percent), inadequate training on oral health (28.1 percent), and lack of time (21.6 percent).
Conclusion: Most pediatricians and pediatrics residents in Riyadh had inadequate oral health knowledge and practices as well as poor adherence to the AAP guidelines. Unfamiliarity with the guidelines was reported to be the main barrier against following them. (J Dent Child 2019;86(1):10-6)
Received November 1, 2018; Last Revision November 23, 2018; Accepted November 27, 2018.
Keywords: ATTITUDES; HEALTH KNOWLEDGE; ORAL HEALTH; PEDIATRICIANS; PEDIATRICS; SAUDI ARABIA
Document Type: Research Article
Affiliations: 1: Teaching assistant, Department of Preventive Dental Science, College of Dentistry, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and is a resident in pediatric dentistry, Department of Developmental Dentistry, School of Dentistry, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, Texas, USA. 2: Teaching assistant, Department of Preventive Dental Science, College of Dentistry, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and is a resident in pediatric dentistry, Department of Developmental Dentistry, School of Dentistry, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, Texas, USA. 3: Lecturer, Department of Preventive Dental Science, College of Dentistry, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University 4: Professor, Department of Preventive Dental Sciences, College of Dentistry, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia., Email: [email protected]
Publication date: January 1, 2019
- Acquired after the merger between the American Society of Dentistry for Children and the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry in 2002, the Journal of Dentistry for Children (JDC) is an internationally renowned journal whose publishing dates back to 1934. Published three times a year, JDC promotes the practice, education and research specifically related to the specialty of pediatric dentistry. It covers a wide range of topics related to the clinical care of children, from clinical techniques of daily importance to the practitioner, to studies on child behavior and growth and development. JDC also provides information on the physical, psychological and emotional conditions of children as they relate to and affect their dental health.
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