RESEARCH ARTICLE
Endodontic Treatment in Pregnancy: Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Dentists and Interns in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Khalid Aboalshamat1, *, Somaya Abdulrahman2, Jameelah Alowadi3, Najwa Al-Mutairy4, Mysam Fairak5, Noufah Alraithi6, Amani Alsolami3, Asma Alshahrani7, Wejdan Almansouri7
Article Information
Identifiers and Pagination:
Year: 2020Volume: 14
First Page: 211
Last Page: 218
Publisher ID: TODENTJ-14-211
DOI: 10.2174/1874210602014010211
Article History:
Received Date: 26/01/2020Revision Received Date: 18/03/2020
Acceptance Date: 23/03/2020
Electronic publication date: 21/05/2020
Collection year: 2020
open-access license: This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License (CC-BY 4.0), a copy of which is available at: (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode). This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Abstract
Aim:
Pregnant women require special consideration in dental treatment due to physiological changes during their pregnancy. The aim of this study is to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of dentists and dental interns in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, regarding endodontic treatment during pregnancy.
Methods:
A cross-sectional study was conducted using validated self-report questionnaires completed by 450 dental interns and dentists who treat pregnant women in governmental and private dental clinics in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The questionnaire measured participants’ knowledge, beliefs, and actual practices regarding behavioral counseling and the treatment of pregnant patients. Descriptive statistics were generated, and significance was set at 0.05.
Results:
A total of 86.4% of the participants acknowledged the importance of endodontic treatment for pregnant patients and responded that most endodontic procedures are considered safe during the second trimester, including periapical radiographs (67.11%), endodontic treatment (81.11%), local anesthesia with and without epinephrine (70.67%), open access (83.78%), drainage of abscesses (76.89%), prescribing acetaminophen (75.56%), and prescribing antibiotics (61.11%). In addition, 57.8% knew that Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) are contraindicated. However, 69.33% considered panoramic radiographs contraindicated. Knowledgeable participants were significantly more likely to practice appropriate endodontic procures. The majority (70.9%) were interested in more education about pregnant patients.
Conclusion:
Dental interns and dentists in Saudi Arabia have fair levels of knowledge about endodontic treatment of pregnant patients, and need to improve their knowledge, especially regarding radiographs and NSAIDs.
