IADR Abstract Archives
Orofacial Granulomatosis In Children – Knowledge Among Norwegian Dental Clinicians
Objectives: The purpose of this study was to identify Norwegian dental clinicians’ knowledge about orofacial granulomatosis (OFG) in children.
Methods: A questionnaire (QuestBack) was sent electronically or provided as an intranet link to all dental clinicians (n=840) working in the Public Dental Service (PDS) in ten out of 19 counties in Norway. The sample was considered representative for Norway. The questionnaire consisted of 20 precoded and two open-ended questions. Intraoral close-up photographs illustrating different manifestations of OFG or “oral Crohn” were included. Information on the respondent’s years of clinical practice, time allocated for treatment of children 3-20 years old and their knowledge of OFG and oral manifestations of Crohn’s disease were requested.
Results: A total of 418 (49.8%) returned the completed form, 300 (71.7%) dentists and 118 (28.3%) dental hygienists. Of the respondents, 176 (42.1%) were aware of the condition OFG before they were introduced to the clinical photos in the questionnaire, and 27.9% reported they most probably had seen a patient with this disorder. More clinicians (n=241, 57.6%) were familiar with the term “oral Crohn” and 81 (19.3%) had seen patients with this condition in their practice. On the other hand, 77.5% did not know if their patients with diagnosed Crohn’s disease had oral symptoms. If the dental personnel were encountered with a patient with suspected OFG or with oral symptoms of Crohn’s disease, most of them would refer either to a specialist in oral medicine or to a medical doctor for evaluation.
Conclusions: This survey demonstrated that OFG seems to be a more common disorder to Norwegian dental clinicians than expected. This may be due to the increase in incidence of Crohn’s disease observed among children and adolescents in Scandinavian countries and thus the awareness of the related disorder OFG.
Methods: A questionnaire (QuestBack) was sent electronically or provided as an intranet link to all dental clinicians (n=840) working in the Public Dental Service (PDS) in ten out of 19 counties in Norway. The sample was considered representative for Norway. The questionnaire consisted of 20 precoded and two open-ended questions. Intraoral close-up photographs illustrating different manifestations of OFG or “oral Crohn” were included. Information on the respondent’s years of clinical practice, time allocated for treatment of children 3-20 years old and their knowledge of OFG and oral manifestations of Crohn’s disease were requested.
Results: A total of 418 (49.8%) returned the completed form, 300 (71.7%) dentists and 118 (28.3%) dental hygienists. Of the respondents, 176 (42.1%) were aware of the condition OFG before they were introduced to the clinical photos in the questionnaire, and 27.9% reported they most probably had seen a patient with this disorder. More clinicians (n=241, 57.6%) were familiar with the term “oral Crohn” and 81 (19.3%) had seen patients with this condition in their practice. On the other hand, 77.5% did not know if their patients with diagnosed Crohn’s disease had oral symptoms. If the dental personnel were encountered with a patient with suspected OFG or with oral symptoms of Crohn’s disease, most of them would refer either to a specialist in oral medicine or to a medical doctor for evaluation.
Conclusions: This survey demonstrated that OFG seems to be a more common disorder to Norwegian dental clinicians than expected. This may be due to the increase in incidence of Crohn’s disease observed among children and adolescents in Scandinavian countries and thus the awareness of the related disorder OFG.