Alina Nasir, Shama Asghar, Syed Adeel Ahmed, Erum Rashid, Sara Ikram, Fasiha Moin.
Knowledge Of Dentists Regarding Dental Treatment During Pregnancy In Karachi.
Pak Oral Dental J Jan ;37(1):137-41.

This study aimed to assess the knowledge of dentists in Karachi regarding the dental treatment of pregnant patients. The cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted by the Department of Operative Dentistry at Bahria University Medical and Dental College, Karachi over a period of eight months. A questionnaire with ten close-ended questions was used. Software IBM SPSS Statistics version 23.0 and Chi-square test were used for data analysis and p<0.05 was considered significant. From a sample size of 215 practicing dentists, 56 (26%) were male and 159 (74%) were female. All participants were between the ages of 23 and 41 years, with a mean age of 27.69 ± 3.2. The majority of participants were Bachelors of Dental Surgery (39.1%), according to practice 67% were general dentists, 52.1% had less than 3 years of experience in dental practice. 86.5% of practicing dentists were willing to provide dental treatment to pregnant patients, 35.3% chose the second trimester as the best time to take a radiograph, 33.5% prescribed amoxicillin, 76.7% considered paracetamol safe during pregnancy, 54% favored the use of local anesthesia with vasoconstrictor. 43.3% did not favor providing treatment to a pregnant patient during any trimester (p=0), 46.5% considered the use of amalgam as safe during pregnancy, 70.7% supported the use of composite and glass ionomer cement, 34.4% opted for the second trimester to perform endodontic treatment while 32.1% felt it was safe to perform at any time and 35.3% reported it was safe to perform dental extractions at any time. This study revealed that there was a general lack of knowledge among dentists in Karachi regarding the dental treatment of pregnant patients.

PakMediNet -Pakistan's largest Database of Pakistani Medical Journals - http://www.pakmedinet.com