Alsalhani Anas B, Nassani Mohammad Zakaria, Noushad Mohammed, Tarakji Bassel, Rastam Samer, Sioufi Azza, Sabbagh Basem, Yousief Salah A, Binrayes Abdulaziz, Hussain Mudassir, Arshad Mohammed, Haque Tahsinul, Akhter Fatema, Fayis Shamil, Mousa Rami Taher, Adi Mowaffak, Kujan Omar
Department of Dentistry, Vision Colleges, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Department of Restorative and Prosthetic Dental Sciences, College of Dentistry, Dar Al Uloom University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Oral Dis. 2025 Apr;31(4):1206-1214. doi: 10.1111/odi.15176. Epub 2024 Nov 3.
Studying dentists' knowledge of dry mouth management is crucial for effective diagnosis and treatment, improving patient outcomes and oral health. This study aimed to evaluate their knowledge and awareness of dry mouth and its predictors.
A pre-validated online survey was administered to a convenience sample of dentists across six countries. The questionnaire evaluated knowledge in various domains, including predisposing factors, diagnosis, clinical signs and symptoms, and management of dry mouth.
A total of 884 dentists participated. Knowledge and awareness of dry mouth management varied significantly between countries (p < 0.05). Overall, 34.3% of participants demonstrated good knowledge, while 53.7% had moderate knowledge. Regarding management awareness, 55.4% had good awareness and 35.5% had moderate awareness. A majority (69.2%) showed good knowledge of common signs, symptoms, and consequences of dry mouth. Significant predictors of better knowledge and awareness included the country of practice and attendance at continuing education courses on dry mouth.
The findings suggest that dentists in the surveyed countries require improved education on dry mouth and its management. Dental educators and healthcare planners can use this data to design targeted continuing education activities to enhance knowledge and awareness of dry mouth.
了解牙医对口干管理的知识对于有效诊断和治疗、改善患者预后及口腔健康至关重要。本研究旨在评估他们对口干及其预测因素的知识和认识。
对来自六个国家的牙医便利样本进行了一项预先验证的在线调查。问卷评估了各个领域的知识，包括易感因素、诊断、临床体征和症状以及口干的管理。
共有884名牙医参与。各国之间在口干管理的知识和认识方面存在显著差异（p < 0.05）。总体而言，34.3%的参与者表现出良好的知识水平，而53.7%的人知识水平中等。在管理意识方面，55.4%的人有良好的意识，35.5%的人意识中等。大多数（69.2%）表现出对口干常见体征、症状和后果的良好了解。更好的知识和认识的显著预测因素包括执业国家和参加口干继续教育课程。
研究结果表明，受调查国家的牙医需要在口干及其管理方面接受更好的教育。牙科教育工作者和医疗保健规划者可以利用这些数据设计有针对性的继续教育活动，以提高对口干的知识和认识。
