Knowledge, approach and recommendations of paediatricians for preventing early childhood caries in children

Introduction: Childhood is an important stage in life and Early Childhood Caries (ECC) is the most common disease of this phase. Unlike paediatric dentists, pediatricians see the majority of children periodically during these first years of life and have the opportunity to sensitize parents to the oral health of their children and to prevent ECC. Aim and Objectives: To assess Paediatrician's knowledge, approach and preventive care recommendations for ECC in children. Materials and Method: A cross-sectional survey was carried out among 36paediatricians selected randomly. A close ended validated questionnaire was solved by all the selected paediatricians. It had questions regarding the knowledge about ECC, child's first dental visit and anticipatory guidance given to parents. This study also evaluated the recommendation for patients to regular dental visits. Results:Majority of paediatricians (83.3%) were aware of ECC and practiced regular oral screening of their patients. They recommend for the first dental visit at around 1 year of age. Among 36Paediatricians33 (91.7%) considered tooth brushing, regular dental check-up, control over sugary and sticky in between meal snacks as the measures for the prevention of ECC and 83.3% of the paediatricians agreed that syrupy medications containing sucrose as a potential risk factor. However, majority of them didn't recommend any fluoride supplements in their daily practice. Conclusions:Paediatricians were well aware of ECC. They consider it to be the responsibility of the general practitioner, paediatrician, general dentist and the paediatric dentist together for the spread of awareness and prevention of ECC.