Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2019 Apr;20(2):65-72.
doi: 10.1007/s40368-018-0386-0. Epub 2018 Oct 30.

Knowledge, attitudes and behaviour regarding the infant oral health visit: are dentists in Ireland aware of the recommendation for a first visit to the dentist by age 1 year?

J Djokic  1 , A Bowen  1 , J Singh Dooa  1 , R Kahatab  1 , T Kumagai  1 , K McKee  1 , C Tan  1 , K FitzGerald  2 , B Duane  1 , D Sagheri  3
Affiliations

Knowledge, attitudes and behaviour regarding the infant oral health visit: are dentists in Ireland aware of the recommendation for a first visit to the dentist by age 1 year?

J Djokic et al. Eur Arch Paediatr Dent. 2019 Apr.

Abstract

Aim: To assess the knowledge, attitudes and behaviour of dentists nationwide in Ireland regarding the infant oral health visit, and also to elucidate whether dentists were aware of the recommendation for a first dental visit by age 1 year and of what care should be provided at this visit.

Methods: A validated 10-item questionnaire was distributed to a representative sample of non-paediatric dentists (non-PDs) and paediatric dentists (PDs) practicing in Ireland. The questionnaire focused on respondents' demographics in addition to their knowledge, attitudes and behaviour regarding the infant dental visit.

Results: Seventy-three percent of non-PDs reported seeing patients aged 0-36 months. Compared to all PD respondents, 58% of non-PDs believed that the first dental visit should occur by age 1 year. Furthermore, non-PDs provided the same care as PDs at the infant dental visit, with the exception of evaluating for fluoride needs and placing fluoride varnish. The main barrier to early oral healthcare was reported to be parents not requesting dental appointments for their infants.

Conclusions: There remains a need to increase the proportion of non-PDs in Ireland seeing infants by their first birthday. It is recommended that Irish undergraduate and continuing education courses incorporate clinical training regarding the infant oral health visit and emphasise fluoride needs evaluation and fluoride varnish application. Additionally, a nationwide health promotion initiative is indicated to inform parents of the importance of a dental visit by age 1 year.

Keywords: First dental visit; Fluoride; Infant dental visit; Infant oral health; Paediatric dentistry; Preventive dentistry.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Pediatr Dent. 2001 Jan-Feb;23(1):51-5 - PubMed
    1. Int J Paediatr Dent. 2001 Mar;11(2):153-7 - PubMed
    1. J Calif Dent Assoc. 2000 Sep;28(9):685-95 - PubMed
    1. Int J Paediatr Dent. 2003 Jul;13(4):270 - PubMed
    1. Taehan Kanho Hakhoe Chi. 2004 Dec;34(8):1460-7 - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources