Level of knowledge and attitude of Pediatricians about early childhood caries and oral health in children in the City of Quito, 2021-2022

Abstract

The prevalence of early childhood caries has been increasing rapidly globally, however, the highest prevalence is seen in developing countries, significantly influencing individuals, families and societies in a way that is related to with general health, quality of life and is related to other common diseases. childhood diseases, mainly due to risk factors in common with other non-communicable diseases, for example, a high consumption of sugar, and diseases related to other health disorders such as obesity. (World Health Organization, 2021). The level of knowledge and the attitude of paediatricians towards this problem is essential for correct prevention as the first providers of information on the health of infants.

Therefore, this study aims to assess the level of knowledge and attitude of pediatricians about early childhood caries and oral health of children in the city of Quito. To the extent that there is no list of each of the pediatricians in the city of Quito, they were selected through a non-probabilistic sampling for convenience. The results suggest that about 58.5% of pediatricians recognized the importance of pediatric dentistry. About 72.7% of pediatricians perform oral exams regularly. About 17% of pediatricians are aware of CHD. Only 32.3% of pediatricians recognized the cariogenicity of medicated syrups.