Knowledge Attitude and Practice of Dental Practitioners towards Palliative Dental Care: A Cross-sectional Questionnaire Study

Introduction: Palliative care is active total care of patients whose disease is not responsive to curative treatment. In a multidisciplinary approach for rendering palliative care, a dentist’s role is vital, but overlooked. Oral cavity is home to numerous microorganisms aggravating disease process. A trained dentist helps treat and manage oral manifestations of systemic diseases from diagnosis to relief from pain and discomfort. Dental expression in palliative care is extended dental services to provide preeminent feasible oral care to terminally ill or advanced diseased patients. Oral conditions impact quality of life of patients and initiation and progression of these lesions may be related to the succession of disease, its treatment or both. Objectives: To evaluate the knowledge, attitude and practice of dental practitioners towards palliative dental care. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional observational questionnaire-based study conducted on 50 dental academicians and practitioners across Mumbai which included specialists in Oral Medicine, Oral Surgery, Prosthodontics and Oral Pathology. A closed-ended, pre-tested, self-administered questionnaire would be prepared for the study. Results: All participants completed their masters in dental surgery. Eighty five percent participants had come across patients requiring palliative care. All except 4 male and 1 female respondent acknowledged importance of palliative care in dentistry. 56.8% participants were aware of hospitals providing palliative dental care. All participants considered palliative care to be interdisciplinary. 94 participants believed dental problems to be common in palliative care. Majority respondents suggested a sugar-free diet while 19 proposed a spicy diet for cases requiring palliative care. Fluoride based mouthwash was recommended by 40 participants and 30 recommended chlorhexidine based while 10 preferred alcohol-based. While 70 participants had not attended any seminars, workshops, symposiums and/ or conferences on palliative care, 80 were willing to do so.