Dental Education's Influence on the Treatment of Pediatric Patients

Pediatric dentists are trained specifically for the treatment of children, but treatment can also be performed by general dentists if they choose. The reasons not to treat children may lie in the education provided during their dental school training. If during training, the student did not have exposure to aspects of pediatric dentistry; the dentists may be reluctant to treat pediatric patients. Similarly, if the one to six year old patient pool was not abundant enough for all dental students to treat, the dentists may lack training for these children. Objective: The objective of this study is to determine the extent to which general dentists treat children and whether this decision is based on their prior educational experience. This study also investigates educational experience and the choices dentists make in their dental practice concerning treatment of child patients. Methods: Self administered anonymous surveys were sent to 500 active members of the Mississippi Dental Association. The return rate was 0.186. Results: Evidence was found that a correlation exists between dental education training and the decision to treat children in an office setting. The data displayed that most dentists were trained to treat children between the ages of 6 and 16, and therefore continued treating these patients in private practice. In addition, many dentists responded that they were not trained in the areas of composites or sealants because these materials were not available at the time. Furthermore, an overwhelming number of respondents referred bleaching and orthodontic cases due to a lack of training. Conclusion: These examples lead to the conclusion that dental school training influences the dentist's decision about treatment of pediatric patients.