Pediatricians’ knowledge in children’s oral health: A systematic review

Background and Objective: There have been requests for physicians to address children's oral health for more than a decade; yet oral health screening, referral, and oral healthcare are still underdeveloped in pediatric practice. Therefore a systematic review was required to understand the pediatricians' existing knowledge and practice for developing action to strengthen their role in children's oral health. Study Design: The electronic MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane, and PubMed databases were searched. Additionally, the bibliography of all relevant articles and textbooks were manually searched. The terms included ("Knowledge" [MeSH] AND (“Attitude" [MeSH]) AND ("Pediatricians" [MeSH] AND ("Children" [MeSH] AND ("Oral Health" [MeSH]. The expanding international interest in pediatricians' role in children's oral health is highlighted in this review. Results: The findings show that doctors have insufficient knowledge and awareness in key areas such as early clinical symptoms of dental caries, suggested age for first dental visit, etiology of dental caries, and fluoride use recommendations. Inadequate education and training, time restrictions in practice, and a lack of referral mechanisms are all obstacles for pediatricians.