The role of pediatrician in promoting oral health

Many problems in the oral cavity that are common in childhood can be prevented with pediatrician guidance. Due to the strict relationship between the pediatrician and child parents, the objective of this study was to evaluate pediatrician knowledge about promoting oral health, correlating this information with the professional profile. For this, issues about fluoride application, oral habits and their consequences, diet and its relation with oral health, teething development, caries control, oral hygiene and forwarding to dentist were covered. Fiftyone pediatricians that do clinical care in two different cities of São Paulo State were evaluated. In 78.3% of the cases, a regular (10 or 11 correct answers) to appropriate (12 or more correct answers) knowledge level on oral health was verified. Although the results are positive, most pediatricians do not have some important information such as breast milk cariogenicity, when teeth formation starts and the appropriate age to remove a non-nutritive sucking habit. Based on the resulting data, we conclude that pediatricians’ knowledge about oral health can and must be improved, provided that there is more integration with dentistry area, especially when doctors are still in Graduation or Post-graduation