Guidelines relevant to paediatric dentistry - do foundation dentists and general dental practitioners follow them? Part 1: Diagnosis and prevention

Introduction: Dental caries can have a detrimental effect on the quality of life of children, affecting eating preferences, quantity of food eaten and sleeping habits. Careful assessment, prevention and management of dental caries are required to minimise these consequences and to foster positive attitudes towards dentistry. Aim: To determine whether foundation dentists, their educational supervisors and other general dental practitioners follow guidelines of relevance to paediatric dentistry. Method: A retrospective review of dental records for 661 patients, with an age range from one to 15 years old. Results: Caries risk was recorded for less than half of patients. Bitewings had never been taken for more than two thirds of 4-15-year-old children. More than a quarter of patients had no record of fluoride being offered. Discussion: The manuscript discusses guidelines relevant to paediatric dentistry and a retrospective record review suggests diagnosis and prevention guidelines are not always followed in general dental practice.