A survey on interdisciplinary oral care in children

Introduction: The aim of this study was to evaluate an interdisciplinary approach to the field of pediatric dentistry in a group of Italian dentists who focused their activities on pediatric dentistry. Materials and methods: The survey was carried out during the months of September and October 2020. The questionnaire was developed using Google Forms and sent anonymously to a total of 58 dentists from the Department of Oral and Maxillo-Facial Sciences of Rome, Italy. The form consisted of 2 parts: (A) gathered demographic and professional data, including specialty (questions n = 3), and (B) was centered around interdisciplinary treatment in pediatric dentistry (questions n = 7). Results: A total of 51 dental practitioners participated to this study: 56.9% (n = 29) were female and 43.1% (n = 22) were male; 87.9% of the contacted dental professionals answered the questionnaire. Conclusions: The results of this preliminary study on an interdisciplinary approach to pediatric dentistry clearly show that this concept must be implemented. In fact, the responses to this survey highlighted how sectorized pediatric dentistry is. There would be a clear benefit from a greater integration, resulting in the best dental care practices for pediatric patients.