Summary
This survey of 146 professionals from 61 Dutch primary care centres examined oral health promotion practices among paediatricians and child health nurses. Although respondents demonstrated positive attitudes and adequate foundational knowledge of caries risk factors, implementation was inconsistent: only 45% actively referred children to dental professionals for prevention, 62% occasionally examined children's mouths, and 36% perceived insufficient focus on oral health in their setting. Reported barriers included time constraints, competing priorities, and knowledge gaps.
Regional applicability
The findings may be relevant to UK health visitor and GP practices, as similar organisational and time pressures exist within primary care. However, UK oral health commissioning structures and referral pathways differ from the Netherlands, potentially affecting transferability of implementation recommendations.
Key measures
Respondent demographics; knowledge of caries risk factors; attitudes towards oral health; oral health promotion implementation during child consultations; perceived barriers to implementation; referral rates to dental professionals; intra-oral examination frequency; perceived adequacy of oral health attention in primary care
Outcomes reported
The study measured healthcare professionals' attitudes, knowledge of caries risk factors, information needs, and implementation of oral health promotion during consultations with children under four years. It assessed gaps between professionals' positive attitudes towards oral health and their actual practice delivery in primary care settings.
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