Evaluation of Attitudes of General Dentists and Dental Specialists in Periodontal Examination and Oral Hygiene Practices: A Cross-Sectional Survey-Based Study
Year: 2025
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Objective: Examination and diagnosis of periodontal diseases are of the utmost importance in a dentist's approach to their patients. Likewise, oral hygiene practices are vital to lower the prevalence of periodontal diseases. This study aims to evaluate the knowledge and attitudes of Turkish general dentists and dental specialists in the examination and diagnosis methods of periodontal diseases and oral hygiene instructions (OHI) practices. Material and Methods: A total of 326 dentists participated in the study. A questionnaire consisting of 31 questions shared by the ''Google Forms'' application was administered to physicians. Sociodemographic information such as gender, years of experience, specialty, institution/organization of practice, number of patients seen daily, and examination time allocated to patients were recorded. The remainder of the questionnaire consisted of dentists' attitudes and behaviors towards periodontal examination, frequency of periodontal probe use, and OHI. Results: The percentage of dentists who performed periodontal examination was 76.40% (n=249) while the percentage of dentists using periodontal probes during periodontal examination was 51.50% (n=168). The percentage of dentists who provided OHI to their patients was 62.90% (n=205). Dentists with more than 20 years of experience (85%) performed the most frequent periodontal examinations. Dentists with more than 20 years of professional experience provide their patients the most amount of OHI. Conclusion: It was observed that both the general dentists and dental specialists with more experience, and less patient load, working in non-governmental clinics presented better knowledge and attitudes toward periodontal treatment and care to their patients.
Institution: Okan University
Language: English
Subfield: Periodontics
Field: Dentistry
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4407187416