Cross-sectional study of dental caries awareness among Uttarakhand healthcare professionals
Photo by Dhruv Bhatt / Unsplash
Key Takeaway
Consider that awareness of sugar-free paediatric liquid medicines varies by specialty, but many clinicians do not link them to dental caries risk.
This is a descriptive cross-sectional study of 431 healthcare professionals in Uttarakhand, India, including general medicine practitioners, paediatricians, and dental practitioners. The study assessed awareness of sugar-free paediatric liquid medicines, prescribing practices, and oral health advice provision related to dental caries.
Key findings include a statistically significant association between specialty and sugar-free paediatric liquid medicine awareness (p = 0.03), with dental practitioners recording the highest awareness at 90%. Only 20% of participants associated paediatric liquid medicines with dental caries, and 48% routinely provided oral health advice. However, 83% knew of sugar-free alternatives.
The authors note limitations, including the descriptive cross-sectional design that limits causal inference, potential response bias from mixed online and in-person administration, and possible effects from excluding incomplete responses on representativeness.
Practice relevance suggests targeted continuing medical education and policy measures, including sucrose-free labelling promotion, to improve paediatric oral health outcomes in Uttarakhand. Causation cannot be inferred from associations, and generalizability may be limited to the studied population.
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View Original Abstract ↓
Background: Paediatric liquid medicines (PLMs) routinely contain sucrose to improve palatability, yet their cariogenic potential is well established. Healthcare professionals' awareness and prescribing practices regarding sugar-free PLMs have received limited study in India, particularly in Uttarakhand. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 500 healthcare professionals aged 25 years and above, using a pilot-tested structured questionnaire (Cronbach's alpha = 0.85), administered online and in person across Uttarakhand districts (January to March 2024). After excluding 69 incomplete responses, 431 participants were analysed (response rate: 86.2%), comprising general medicine practitioners (49%, n = 211), paediatricians (27%, n = 116), and dental practitioners (24%, n = 104). Descriptive statistics and chi square tests were applied (p < 0.05). Results: Prescription decisions were primarily driven by child's age and weight (58%), cost (40%), and pharmaceutical brand (37%). While 88% recognised PLM sweetness and 67% were aware of pH and dental harm links, only 20% associated PLMs with dental caries. Overall awareness of hidden sugars was 73%. Eighty three percent knew of sugar free alternatives (50% local availability), yet 80% found them less palatable and 85% costlier. Only 48% routinely provided oral health advice. A statistically significant association was found between specialty and sugar free PLM awareness (p = 0.03), with dental practitioners recording the highest awareness (90%). Conclusions: Healthcare professionals demonstrated variable levels of knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding PLMs, with critical gaps in caries recognition (20%) and oral health counselling (48%). Despite high sugar free PLM awareness, uptake is constrained by perceived cost and palatability barriers. Targeted continuing medical education and policy measures, including sucrose free labelling promotion, are needed to improve paediatric oral health outcomes in Uttarakhand.
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