Methods: A modified survey was sent by mail to the Selangor's dentists. It had questions on knowledge about ECC, timing of first dental check-up, attitude and practice towards the management of ECC including treatment and prevention as well as dentist's profile. Survey data were analyzed using the descriptive statistics.
Results: A 189 dentists responded to the questionnaire; the majority of participants were female (66.2%) and fresh graduates (62.1%) from Malaysia. Slightly more than half of the participants (58.6%) were aware of the existence of a standardized case definition for ECC. Almost all the participants (99.3%) reported that early examinations are very important in the prevention of ECC. However, only (46.9%) were aware about the recommended timing of child's first dental visit set by the well-known professional organizations. Although the majority of participants (98.6%) believed that ECC can be prevented, only (24.1%) used the anticipatory guidance, (33.1%) who always recommended use fluoride tooth paste and (35.9%) used the fluoride varnish in preventing ECC.
Conclusion: The majority of the dentists in Selangor reported that dental caries in children can be prevented. However, a significant number of them are still unaware of the recommendation standards set for ECC management. This professional group has a direct impact on the child's oral health and hence further educational programs are recommended to effectively increase the ECC awareness among them.