Knowledge and practices of Health Professionals about oral health early childhood

Abstract

Introduction: Access to oral health in the early childhood of the population is limited, with caries being the most common disease in preschool children, affecting 600 million children worldwide, impacting the quality of life of children and their families. Factors such as breastfeeding, eating habits, harmful oral habits, knowledge, and practices of health professionals can interfere with oral health. Objectives: To verify the knowledge and practices of health professionals at the Cassiano Antonio Moraes University Hospital (HUCAM) on oral health in early childhood. Methods: This is descriptive quantitative research, adopting a self-administered questionnaire as a collection instrument. The sample consisted of 70 days shift professionals. Data were processed using simple descriptive statistics. Results: Most respondents (94.3%) are interested in receiving guidance on oral health, 54.3% have heard about dental prenatal care, 51.4% believe that fluoride toothpaste is not recommended for children under 3 years of age and 80% got 5 to 7 questions right. Conclusion: Most participants have a good level of knowledge about oral health in early childhood. Breastfeeding was the health practice most addressed by the participants, followed by oral hygiene. One can verify the importance of integrality in child care, the fundamental presence of the Dental Surgeon in the multiprofessional health team in the hospital environment with regard to the promotion of oral health in early childhood.