Practices and attitude of general dentists in Saudi Arabia towards various prevention methods.

Abstract

The objective of the study was to determine the practices and attitude of general dentists in Saudi Arabia towards various caries preventive methods. A self-administered questionnaire was utilized to obtain the required information. The study sample consisted of general dentists attending the annual meeting of Saudi Dental Society in Riyadh. Results showed that nine in ten (91.2%) dentists provide oral hygiene instructions to their patients. Majority (78.1%) of the dentists provide the oral hygiene instructions at the first and last dental visit. More than four-fifth (83.3%) of the dentists provide dietary advice to their parents and the majority (78.1%) provide it only at the first dental visit. Four-fifth (80.7%) of the dentists performs dental prophylaxis on their patients. A considerable number (41.2%) of dentists do not use professional topical fluoride, and 72.8% do not prescribe fluoride supplements. The oral hygiene advice is rated as the most important preventive method for dental caries prevention by 87.7% of the dentists. Slightly more than half (53.5%) of the dentists have attended a continuing dental education program in preventive dentistry, but only 30.7% have attended any such program in preventive dentistry within the past two years. In conclusion, the general dentists attitude towards preventive is generally positive and their practices are mostly prudent. However, they need to improve in the area of reinforcement and follow-up of preventive advice.