Comparison of Prenatal Dental Care Practices Among Dentists by Employment Sector

• Autores: Arevalo-Alvarez, Venus, Callalla-Lazaro, Ana, Carrillo-Sarmiento, Karla, Alejandra Leon-Rios, Ximena
• Formato: artículo
• Fecha de Publicación: 2025
• Institución: Sociedad Peruana de Odontopediatría
• Repositorio: Odontología pediátrica
• Lenguaje: español
• OAI Identifier: oai:op.spo.com.pe:article/309
• Enlace del recurso: https://op.spo.com.pe/index.php/odontologiapediatrica/article/view/309
• Nivel de acceso: acceso abierto
• Materia: oral health; pregnant women; dental care; practices; salud oral; gestantes; control odontológico; prácticas

Objective: To compare practices according to the employment sector in prenatal dental care in Metropolitan Lima Material and methods: Materials and Methods: The study design was observational and cross-sectional. The sample consisted of 256 registered dentists from Metropolitan Lima. A validated questionnaire consisting of 20 questions on professional practices and 7 questions on demographic data was administered to 256 dentists. A descriptive analysis of absolute and relative frequencies was performed. Additionally, the Chi-square test and Fisher's exact test were used with a 95% confidence interval and a significance level of p < 0.05. Results: Statistically significant differences were found in the item on routine examinations, showing that most of the dentists (51.61%) who perform them belong to the public sector (p = 0.007). Likewise, regarding the item on tooth extraction in pregnant women, most of the professionals (59.57%) who always perform this procedure belong to the public sector (p = 0.035). Finally, 56.21% of public sector dentists always perform local anesthesia on pregnant women, while 77.78% of those who never do so belong to the private sector (p = 0.045). Conclusion: The study reveals that dentists working in the public sector demonstrate better practices when treating pregnant women. Additionally, professionals from both sectors recognized the importance of maintaining oral health during pregnancy and expressed an interest in continuous training related to treatment in pregnant patients.