A QUESTIONNAIRE SURVEY ON THE KNOWLEDGE OF PEDIATRIC DENTISTRY: A MANDATORY STEP

*Dr. Nivriti Chaddha, Dr. Rini Gangwal, Dr. Halaswamy Vishwanath Kambalimath, Dr. Satish Maran, Dr. Shadma Qureshi and Dr. Kanchan Satish Adchitre

ABSTRACT

Background: The first set of teeth to erupt in the oral cavity are primary teeth. However, because the majority of people think that primary teeth will eventually fall out and that it is unnecessary to spend time and money conserving them, these teeth are frequently ignored despite their significance. A child's primary teeth are an important resource because they preserve space and are essential for mastication, phonetics, and aesthetics. Many issues can be prevented by keeping primary teeth in place, including underdevelopment of the basal bone that causes crowding in the permanent dentition and space loss for the eruption of permanent replacement. Objective:
 To assess the knowledge and awareness among the general dentists' and postgraduates' (excluding pedodontist) regarding Pediatric Dentistry.
 To compare the knowledge among general dentists' and postgraduates' regarding Pediatric Dentistry,
Method: A close ended questionnaire was circulated among general dentists and postgraduates (excluding pedodontist) through electronic media and results were evaluated. Statistical analysis was performed using appropriate software. Results: Result concluded that General practitioners and postgraduate students were not aware regarding primary dentition and treatment modalities of pediatric dentistry. Conclusion: Knowledge of appropriate primary tooth treatment modalities among various specialties can facilitate appropriate treatment planning and improve retention of deciduous tooth till the emergence of permanent teeth.

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