Planned intervention: On Wednesday April 3rd 05:30 UTC Zenodo will be unavailable for up to 2-10 minutes to perform a storage cluster upgrade.
Published May 29, 2021 | Version v1
Journal article Open

KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE, MANAGEMENT, AND CLINICAL EXPERIENCE OF DENTISTS REGARDING PATIENTS WITH EATING DISORDERS IN SAUDI ARABIA

Description

Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge, attitude, management, and clinical experience of dentists regarding patients with eating disorder in Saudi Arabia.

Method and Methods: A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted to assess and evaluate the knowledge, attitude, management, and clinical experience of dentists regarding patients with eating disorders in Saudi Arabia. Participants for this study were male and female dental practitioners working in governmental or private sector and willing to participate (n= 485). Data was collected using a self-administered structured questionnaire, which consisted of 25 items related to socio-demographics of the participating dentists, their knowledge of ED, clinical experience, attitudes and perceived management preferences.

Results: The majority of participants were Saudi female. About 85% (422) of the participants, were aware of eating disorders (ED). More than 45% (230) of the participants rated themselves as average with regards to overall knowledge about ED. 40% (195) were not sure if they could diagnose patients with bulimia nervosa but anticipated that they could. More than half of the participants 54.8% (276) stated that they are qualified enough to provide dental care for eating disorder patients. More than 60% (323) stated that they have never treated patients with eating disorders. About 60% (288) of the professions informed patient and/or parent and referred them for consultation when they were suspected to have ED.

Conclusion: According to these findings, dentists in Saudi Arabia reported average knowledge regarding ED and insufficient clinical experience. Therefore, there is a need to increase both undergraduate and continuing education in this field to improve the management that a dentist can provide for ED patients.

Keywords: Eating disorders, Dentists, Knowledge, Attitude

Files

33.Razan AlDhibi-Knowledge, Attitude, Management, and Clinical Experience of Dentists Regarding Patients with Eating Disorders in Saudi Arabia.pdf