Road blocks perceived by the dentists toward the treatment of early childhood caries in Chennai city - A cross-sectional study

Background: The problem of early childhood caries remains a worldwide public concern, as most of the caries remains untreated. Despite advances in dental care, most children fail to benefit from oral health-care services not only due to differences in attitudes in parents but also in oral health-care providers. Objectives: The objective of the study is to determine the road blocks perceived by the dentist in Chennai, toward the treatment of early childhood caries. Methods: Following a simple random sampling technique, a cross-sectional questionnaire study was conducted among general dentists (n = 50) and pediatric dentists (n = 50) in Chennai city. Each selected dentist was asked to complete the Barriers to Childhood Caries Treatment (BaCCT) questionnaire: a 29-item measure considering child, parent, dentist, and healthcare system factors. Results: The mean BaCCT score was found to be significantly higher among general dentists 2.68 ± 0.36 when compared to pediatric dentists 2.36 ± 0.45 (P = 0.0001). Similarly, mean BaCCT score was found to be significantly higher among general dentists in Domain-I (child coping abilities), Domain-II (dentist attitudes toward offering restorative treatment), and Domain-III (dentist attitudes toward restoring primary teeth) when compared to the pediatric dentists (P < 0.001). Conclusions: The general dentists exhibited inherent barriers in providing treatment for early childhood caries compared to pediatric dentists. Training in the field of pediatric dentistry enhances their ability to handle early child caries better.