Department of Restorative Dental Medicine and Endodontics, Study of Dental Medicine, University of Split School of Medicine, 21000 Split, Croatia.
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Clinical Hospital Centre Split, 21000 Split, Croatia.
Medicina (Kaunas). 2024 Mar 12;60(3):467. doi: 10.3390/medicina60030467.
: Dental pain is a common problem that often leads to unscheduled dental visits and requires a comprehensive understanding of analgesics, including their indications and contraindications. The aim of this study was to investigate dentists' knowledge, self-reported confidence levels, and prescribing patterns of analgesics in dentistry. : A nationwide cross-sectional online survey was conducted, resulting in 379 responses. Of these, 68.6% were general dentists, and 31.4% were specialists. The collected data included sociodemographic information, levels of knowledge, and prescription patterns. The survey questionnaire explored self-perceived practices, patient information during prescription, and guiding factors. Descriptive statistics and a generalized linear model for regression were used for data analysis. : Higher levels of knowledge were observed in specific contexts such as secondary/tertiary healthcare ( = 0.022), specialization in endodontics ( = 0.003), and a higher number of working hours with patients ( = 0.038). Conversely, increased self-confidence was observed among endodontists ( = 0.008), oral surgeons ( = 0.011), and dentists with more than 6 h of patient interaction ( ≤ 0.001). Orthodontists and prosthodontists demonstrated lower knowledge levels, while specialists in family dentistry exhibited lower self-confidence. Self-confidence and knowledge displayed a significant positive correlation (r = 0.039, < 0.001). The most frequently prescribed medication was ibuprofen (97.9%), primarily for surgical (83.9%) and endodontic procedures (60.9%), with the main indications being pulpal (85.8%), periradicular (57.3%), and postoperative pain (40.1%). : This study reveals significant knowledge and confidence gaps among dentists, including limited awareness of the efficacy of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for odontogenic pain, a lack of time for effective counseling, and perceived deficits in pharmacology education. To address these issues, targeted educational interventions are recommended to improve analgesic prescribing practice, close knowledge gaps, and increase dentists' confidence in more effective pain management.
: 牙科疼痛是一个常见的问题，经常导致非计划性的牙科就诊，需要全面了解镇痛药，包括其适应证和禁忌证。本研究旨在调查牙医对镇痛药的知识、自我报告的信心水平和处方模式。: 进行了一项全国性的横断面在线调查，共收到 379 份回复。其中，68.6%为全科牙医，31.4%为专科医生。收集的数据包括社会人口统计学信息、知识水平和处方模式。调查问卷探讨了自我感知的实践、处方时的患者信息以及指导因素。采用描述性统计和广义线性回归模型进行数据分析。: 在特定环境中观察到更高的知识水平，例如二级/三级保健（ = 0.022）、牙髓学专业（ = 0.003）和与患者互动的工作时间更长（ = 0.038）。相反，在牙髓病专家（ = 0.008）、口腔外科医生（ = 0.011）和与患者互动超过 6 小时的牙医（ ≤ 0.001）中观察到更高的自我信心。正畸医生和修复医生表现出较低的知识水平，而家庭牙科专业的专家表现出较低的自我信心。自我信心和知识呈显著正相关（r = 0.039， ＜ 0.001）。最常开的药物是布洛芬（97.9%），主要用于手术（83.9%）和牙髓学程序（60.9%），主要适应证为牙髓（85.8%）、根尖周（57.3%）和术后疼痛（40.1%）。: 本研究揭示了牙医之间存在显著的知识和信心差距，包括对非甾体抗炎药治疗牙源性疼痛的疗效认识有限、缺乏有效的咨询时间以及对药理学教育的认知不足。为了解决这些问题，建议进行有针对性的教育干预，以改善镇痛药的处方实践，缩小知识差距，并提高牙医对更有效的疼痛管理的信心。
