Evaluation of knowledge, attitude and practice of dental students and general dentists about the importance of fluoride therapy in 3-6 year old children in Ilam

Fluoride therapy has been proven as a safe and highly effective method in prevention and controls of dental caries.Considering this, it is important for dentists to be aware of fluoride effect and its proper use. The aim of this study was to investigate the awareness of dental students and general dentists about the importance of fluoride therapy, methods of application and application in children aged 3-6 years in Ilam.

This descriptive cross-sectional study was performed on 136 dental students and general dentists in Ilam . Data were collected through a questionnaire and analyzed using Chi-square, T-test and ANOVA at a significant level of P <0.05.

The knowledge of general dentists and students about fluoride prescribing for different ages was almost the same  and the knowledge of general dentists was slightly different from the knowledge of students which was not significant(P=0.22). The majority of general dentists prescribed fluoride For 6-12 years old children. There was no significant difference between fluoride therapy in different age groups between students and general dentists (P = 0.75).

The results of this study showed that knowledge and attitude of students and general dentists about fluoride therapy is acceptable. And the majority of general dentists and dental students recommended fluoride toothpaste and mouthwash for fluoride therapy at home.