Assessment of dentists’ awareness about oral health of children with disabilities in 2024

Abstract

Introduction: Children with disabilities are a special category because they are less able to take care of their own oral health and require more procedures to avoid oral diseases since they are more likely to develop than their peers without disabilities. It is challenging, time-consuming, and requires certain circumstances to treat such children. Objective: The aim of our study was to assess the level of dentists’ awareness about the oral health and the specific treatment in children with disabilities. Material and methods: The study included 150 randomly selected dentists from Taif hospitals, Saudi Arabia. Their knowledge was assessed via anonymous questionnaire consisting of 18 items. Results: The results of the questionnaire revealed low level of awareness on matters of children with disabilities, their special features and behavioral problems. These results raise the need of undertaking of emergency measures in creating step-by-step instruction programs aimed at all practicing dental medicine who have not undergone special training during their education.