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DOI: 10.1055/s-0041-1739510
Perception, Knowledge, and Professional Behavior of Dentists about Silver Diamine Flouride: A Nationwide Survey
Abstract
Objectives The aim of this study was to survey the educational experiences, knowledge, and attitude of dentists in Pakistan about the professional use of silver diamine fluoride (SDF). This study also aimed to determine if SDF educational experience at the undergraduate level can result in a more positive attitude and increased clinical usage of SDF.
Materials and Methods This was a cross-sectional survey, conducted at multiple dental institutes across Pakistan using a pre-validated questionnaire to assess the knowledge, experience, and professional expertise of dentists regarding the use of SDF. The data were entered and analyzed using the SPSS (version 23.0) data management software by IBM.
Results The results of this study were deemed significant in terms of achievement of the study aims. The majority of the responders, 178 (79.8%), reported online resources to be the main source of information about SDF treatment, whereas 103 (46.1%) responders gained information from a dental journal. A higher number of consultants were reported to be well educated regarding SDF treatment during their residency training as compared with demonstrators, house officers, and postgraduate trainees (p < 0.001). About 64 (28.7%) responders agreed that SDF is a better alternative treatment for children with behavioral issues, 74 (33.2%) agreed that it is a better treatment option for medically fragile patients, and 79 (35.4%) agreed that it can be used as an alternative for patients with dental anxiety. It was agreed by 82 (36.8%) responders that SDF is a good treatment option for patients who recently have received chemotherapy radiation therapy.
Conclusion It is the need of time to put all educational efforts together to enhance knowledge regarding the use, advantages, and potential problems of SDF.
Consent
Informed consent was obtained from the participants after explaining to them the research objective and aim, voluntary participation, right to autonomy and confidentiality, and the right to withdraw from participation in the study.
Ethical Approval
This study was approved by The University Research Committee with approval number (ERB Number: UCD/ERCA/20/04 g) and ensured the ethical conduct of the study issued on 2021.
Authors' Contributions
BA conceived and designed the study, conducted research, provided research materials, and collected and organized data. SA, FS, and FF collected and analyzed, and interpreted the data. MW and ZK provided logistic support and collected data. All authors were involved in writing the initial and final draft of the manuscript. All authors have critically reviewed and approved the final draft and are responsible for the content and similarity index of the manuscript.
Publication History
Article published online:
29 November 2021
© 2021. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, permitting unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction so long as the original work is properly cited. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
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