Dental fear and knowledge of children treated by certified pediatric dentists and general practitioners.

The purpose of this study was to compare knowledge regarding preventive measures and reported dental fear, of children treated by certified pediatric dentists (CPDs) to those treated by general practitioners (GPs). A questionnaire was given to 300 children, 150 were treated by GPs and the others by CPDs. Children treated by CPDs provided more correct answers to questions about prevention of oral disease (p < 0.001). However, the percentage of children that showed good knowledge was small (14%-82%), and the differences between the two groups on the various questions was only 7%-20%. Children treated by CPDs reported more frequently that they were not afraid of dental treatments (75.3% vs. 39.3%), loved their dentists (50% vs. 31.5%) and received prizes (85.3% vs. 32.7%). These findings suggest that CPDs invest more effort in communication and education of their patients concerning preventive dentistry. There is a need to improve these skills of GPs and CPDs.