Awareness of Lebanese Pediatricians regarding Children’s Oral Health

Pediatricians have an important role in early identification and prevention of oral health, but they reported lack of knowledge in this field. AIM: the aim of the study is to evaluate the knowledge and attitudes of Lebanese pediatricians regarding children’s oral health. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross sectional study including 100 Lebanese pediatricians was performed. They answered 21 questions. Three variables were taken into consideration: The number of years in practice, the place and type of practice. RESULTS: 73.6% of pediatricians with more than 5 years in practice, 63.5% of pediatricians with an exclusive private practice and 74.7% of pediatricians working in cities/big villages believe that a child is able to brush properly his teeth before the age of 5 years. Only 27.6% of pediatricians with more than 5 years in practice, or working in cities/big villages and 12.7% of those having an exclusive private practice admit that white and black spots are signs of affected teeth. DISCUSSION: Majority of our pediatricians reported that bottle feeding is associated with early childhood caries. They do not believe that the maternal milk can harm the baby’s teeth. Concerning the transmission from mother to child of the bacteria responsible for dental caries, the reported percentages were not statistically different in relation to pediatricians’ years of experience, type and place of practice. Pediatricians who are academically affiliated were more likely to report that fluoride is safe compared to those practicing in the private sector (P = 0,012). The majority believe that there is a relation between systematic manifestation such as fever and eruption of primary teeth. CONCLUSION: The Lebanese pediatricians have an acceptable level of knowledge in children’s oral health, but should be better informed and motivated toward dental and oral issues. HOW TO CITE THIS ARTICLE: Nassif N, Noueiri B, Bacho R, Kassak K. Awareness of Lebanese Pediatricians regarding Children’s Oral Health. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2017;10(1):82-88.