Knowledge, Attitude and Practice among Dentists Regarding Tetracycline Teeth Staining and Treatment Protocol - A Questionnaire Study

Introduction: Aesthetics is an important attribute to man’s overall view of himself .The term “tooth discoloration‟ refers to the fading away of the natural colour of the tooth or replacement with a stain, usually of a different colour to the point of notice. Tooth discoloration has been classified as extrinsic or intrinsic. Tetracycline staining which is characteristic in children born of mothers who were on tetracycline medication. These children develop a brown staining on most of their deciduous and permanent teeth. A variety of treatment methods including tooth-whitening options have been sought. The aim of this KAP survey was to assess the knowledge , attitude and practice of various clinical practitioners both undergraduate and postgraduate regarding Tetracycline tooth staining, its aetiology and treatment modalities.

Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted across various Dental Clinics and Hospitals in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.Theself-administered questionnaire was written in English was adapted based on many other previous surveys of similar nature. It was circulated as digital questionnaires (GoogleForms) It had 15 items, 5 in the knowledge, 5 practice components and 5 in the attitude component, and took about 10 min to complete.

Results: Among the 250 responses it was observed that 66.7% of the respondents were endodontists and the remaining 33.3% were general practitioners.33.3% of respondents had an experience of 2 to 6 years while 16.7% of respondents had a 8 year or more experience. All the respondents were based in and around Chennai, Tamil Nadu. The mean Knowledge score was 70%, while mean attitude and practice scores varied between 87% to 91% and were considerably much better.

Conclusion: The fabrication of a detailed treatment protocol for the treatment of tetracycline based tooth staining in various clinical scenarios and the standardization of such a protocol, while also upgrading the basic theoretical knowledge is necessary. This could in tern help delivering better treatment to the patient while considering both the affordability as well as aesthetic satisfaction of the patient.