Knowledge and attitudes of Brazilian dentists regarding dental treatment of children

OBJECTIVE: This survey assessed the attitudes of dentists regarding dental treatment of children, the barriers reported, and knowledge about the recommended age for a child’s first dental visit.METHODS: A self-applied questionnaire was sent to all dentists in Pelotas/Brazil and 187 (67.8%) were returned. The chi-square test was used to analyze categorical or nominal variables; the chisquare test for linear trend was used for the ordinal variables and Fisher’s exact test was used when the cell frequencies were small. The level of significance was set at α=0.05.RESULTS: The majority of the dentists provide dental treatment for children (123; 71.9%). Regarding the barriers to treatment of children, behavior (55.9%) and interest of parents (48.2%) were the most cited. Only 65.9% reported that children should see a dentist no later than 12 months of age. Knowledge about the recommended age was higher among pediatric dentists (p=0.03) and lower among dentists in private practice (p=0.002) and with more years of practice (p=0.02).CONCLUSIONS: Although most of the dentists treat children, barriers have been pointed out. Many of the dentists are not aware of the recommended age for the first dental visit. Given the benefits of early treatment, this attitude should be stimulated among dental professionals.