General dentists’ knowledge and practice about corticosteroid prescription

Abstract

Introduction: Lack of adequate familiarity with indications, contraindications, and possible complications of corticosteroid prescription may lead dentists toward unreasonable administration of these drugs, which can be deleterious to patients’ health and their quality of life. Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate general dentists’ knowledge and practice about corticosteroid prescription during 2016 in Rasht, Iran. Material and methods: This cross-sectional descriptive study was performed through a census using a valid self-made questionnaire pertaining to demographic information, knowledge, practice and opinion assessment questions. The questionnaire was completed by 110 general dentists and the data were analyzed using SPSS v. 16. Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used in this study. The significance level was set at P < 0.05. Results and discussion: The median dentist’s knowledge score was 5 (out of 7) with 58% frequency. Eighty two (78.2%) of the dentists were in the medium knowledge level, while 32 (29%) of them had prescribed corticosteroids in necrotic teeth with cellulite and diffused swelling, a decision that can lead to intensification and expansion of infectious complications. There was no statistical correlation between knowledge and also the practice of dentists and their age, sex, work experience, and the dental school where they had graduated from. Conclusions: This study illustrated that Rasht dentists’ knowledge about indications, contraindications, and complications of corticosteroid prescription has deficiencies which should be addressed by more appropriate syllabi in dental schools, continuing education workshops, and pamphlets.