Çocuk Hastaların Diş Hekimliği Kliniğine Başvuru Zamanlarının ve Sebeplerinin Değerlendirilmesi

Abstract

Background: This study aims to investigate the application reasons and the age of the first dental visit of pediatric patients who applied to the XXX University Faculty of Dentistry Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology. Methods: A total of 968 pediatric patients aged 0-15 years, who applied to the our department between October 2022 to March 2023, were included in the study. Demographic information, reasons for visiting the dentist, and data on the first visit to the dentist were obtained from the parents. Application reasons were divided into nine main groups (dental pain, tooth caries, dental trauma, tooth extraction, discoloration/stains, orthodontic treatments, pathologies, preventive treatments, and routine control examination). Results: Out of 968 pediatric patients, 88 (9.1%) visited the dentist for the first time. Most of the pediatric patients who came to the first dentist visit were between the ages of 3-5 and the mean age was 6.01 ± 3.27 years. The most common application reason was dental caries with 485 patients (50.1%), followed by dental pain with 226 patients (23.3%). No patient applied for preventive treatments. The most common reason for the first dental visit was dental caries with 49 patients (55.7%). Conclusıon: Although pediatric patients apply to the dentist for many reasons, it has been observed that the most common reason for application is dental caries. Additionally, most of the pediatric patients make their first dentist visit later than they should be. It is necessary that this age in children should be moved earlier and increase parental awareness. © 2024, Selcuk University. All rights reserved.