Knowledge and Practice of General Dentists and Dental Students about Treatment Considerations during Pregnancy and lactation in Yazd, Iran

Pregnant and lactating women need special considerations for dental treatments. This study was performed to evaluate the knowledge and practice of general dentists and dental students about treatment considerations during pregnancy and lactation.

In this cross-sectional study, 96 general dentists and 66 last-year dental students were selected by random number table and census, respectively. The knowledge and practice of the participants was assessed using a self-structured questionnaire on a self-report basis. Data were analyzed by SPSS software (version 17).

The mean knowledge score of dentists and dental students was 8.56±2.33 and 8.11±2.23 (out of 13), with no significant difference between the two groups. There was a significant association between knowledge and age (p= 0.001) as well as work experience of dentists (p= 0.001). A significant relationship was found between students' knowledge and their gender and average grade point (p=0.040 and p=0.001). 0.6% of dentists and 28.7% of dental students did not choose the correct position on the unit during pregnancy. 32.3% of dentists and 27.3% of dental students wrongly considered adrenaline-containing anesthetics as contraindicated during pregnancy. 22.9% of dentists and 12.1% of dental students incorrectly considered Metronidazole and 20.8% of dentists and 30.3% of dental students Barbiturates as safe medications during lactation.

Considering the level of knowledge and practice of general dentists and dental students about treatment considerations during pregnancy and lactation, it is suggested to consider this subject in dentistry education programs and also to hold training workshops to improve the level of knowledge into ideal.