Awareness and Knowledge of Salivary Gland Disorders among Dentists: A Cross-Sectional Study

الملخص

Background: As a primary healthcare provider, the dentist is essential for the early identification and management of salivary gland problems. However, due to the disease's complexity and the salivary gland tumor's rarity, the dentist may have challenges with detecting the disease.

Objective: To evaluate Yemeni dentists' knowledge of salivary gland diseases (SGDs) in six domains: risk factors, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, postoperative care, and common situations.

Methods: A multicenter cross-sectional study was undertaken among 162 dentists from eight Yemeni universities between January and April 2024. Participants completed a validated electronic questionnaire assessing their salivary gland dysfunction (SGD) knowledge. Correct and wrong replies were examined using descriptive statistics. Furthermore, SPSS was used to analyze data.

Results: There were significant knowledge gaps found. Only 32.1% identified SGD risk factors, 12.3% knew diagnostic techniques, and 45.1% appropriately described mumps. Treatment knowledge was stronger (53.9-64.8% accurate). Early-career dentists (<5 years’ experience) demonstrated lower results.

Conclusion: The current study showed that there is a knowledge gap in diagnosing SGD. However, dentists showed a good understanding of the treatment and post-treatment aspects, which highlights a need for education, particularly for early-career dentists.