1.A Survey on Knowledge and Practices in Erosive Tooth Wear Among Dental Practitioners in Kuantan, Pahang: A Preliminary Study
Noorhazayti Ab. Halim ; Nur Atiyah Fakhri ; Nur Izzati Aisyah Azhar ; Md Mustafa Md-Muziman-Syah
Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences 2021;17(No.2):28-33
Introduction: Erosive tooth wear (ETW) is an emerging dental condition worldwide. However, most dental practitioners overlooked the early stages of the condition due to vague clinical appearance of tooth surface loss. Therefore,
this study was aimed to determine the knowledge of ETW and treatment given amongst dental professionals in private
clinics in Kuantan, Pahang. Method: Several private dental clinics in Kuantan, Pahang, involved in this cross-sectional study. Dental practitioners were volunteering to participate in this research. A validated self-administered
questionnaire was distributed, and a descriptive analysis was conducted. Results: The overall response rate was
75%. Results revealed that most participants obtained a structured education on ETW (79.2%). Through continuous
dental education, about half of the participants learnt further. All participants agreed that carbonated drink caused
ETW, and most reported that gastroesophageal reflux diseases and pickles had related to the ETW. The majority of
participants favoured case note (79%) with regards to ETW records. Nevertheless, 40.9% and 36.4% are recorded
at the tooth surface and individual level, respectively. Surprisingly, 79% of them did not know about special scores
when assessing ETW. Most participants prefer to give instruction on oral hygiene and diet counselling as preventive
measures, but the use of fluoride was not given priority. 77% have not ever referred the case to a dental specialist and
preferred to treat the patient on their own. Conclusion: ETW knowledge among recruited PDPs is adequate; however,
no specific indices were used for ETW scoring and insufficient treatment strategies..