Arcidiacono Luisa, Santagostini Antonio, Tagliaferri Sara, Ghezzi Benedetta, Manfredi Edoardo, Segù Marzia
Center of Dental Medicine, University of Parma, Parma, Italy.
Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma, Italy.
Front Neurol. 2024 Feb 19;15:1279362. doi: 10.3389/fneur.2024.1279362. eCollection 2024.
This study aimed to investigate Italian dentists' knowledge of and attitudes toward obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in children.
An anonymous questionnaire was prepared using Google Forms and sent to dentists in Italy through private social platforms. The first part of the questionnaire contained basic demographic data questions, and the second part included items about pediatric OSA.
A total of 125 responses were collected within 1 month. The interviews revealed gaps in undergraduate and post-graduate training on OSA, and consequently, low self-evaluation of knowledge and self-confidence in managing young patients with OSA. Dentists showed unfavorable attitudes and poor knowledge of the general findings, risk factors, and consequences of pediatric OSA but demonstrated good knowledge of the beneficial effects of rapid maxillary expansion. Orthodontists showed a more favorable attitude and better recognition of the craniofacial features associated with OSA. In addition, a comparison was made between dentists who had graduated more than 5 years ago and new graduates, and differences were found in undergraduate education, which was better for new graduates, and a small number of questions were better answered by experienced dentists.
This study showed a lack of knowledge about pediatric OSA and its management among Italian dentists, revealing the need to update the dentistry curriculum and organize educational interventions.
本研究旨在调查意大利牙医对儿童阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停（OSA）的了解程度和态度。
使用谷歌表单编制一份匿名问卷，并通过私人社交平台发送给意大利的牙医。问卷的第一部分包含基本人口统计学数据问题，第二部分包括有关儿童OSA的项目。
在1个月内共收集到125份回复。访谈揭示了在OSA本科和研究生培训方面存在差距，因此，对管理OSA年轻患者的知识自我评估和自信心较低。牙医对儿童OSA的一般表现、危险因素和后果表现出不利态度和了解不足，但对快速上颌扩展的有益效果表现出良好了解。正畸医生表现出更积极的态度，对与OSA相关的颅面特征有更好的认识。此外，对毕业超过5年的牙医和新毕业生进行了比较，发现本科教育存在差异，新毕业生的本科教育更好，而少数问题经验丰富的牙医回答得更好。
本研究表明意大利牙医对儿童OSA及其管理缺乏了解，揭示了更新牙科课程和组织教育干预措施的必要性。
