Dental Surgeons' Knowledge and Practice Regarding Sickle Cell Disease in Recife, Brazil

A cross-sectional survey of 124 dental surgeons at Family Health Units in Recife, northeastern Brazil, analyzes their knowledge and clinical practice regarding sickle cell disease. The study, authored by Ana Cláudia Alves e Luna, used a standardized questionnaire and descriptive statistics. It found that 89.5% of respondents knew the disease definition, but only 17.7% knew the dental care protocol.

Use Cases

• Assessing gaps in dental professional knowledge about sickle cell disease based on survey responses.
• Analyzing correlations between dentist demographics and clinical confidence levels mentioned in the description.
• Evaluating the role of undergraduate education in preparing dentists for treating sickle cell patients based on the reported 13.6% figure.

Strengths

• Survey includes 124 respondents from a population of 132 eligible dental surgeons, representing a 93.9% response rate.
• Provides specific demographic breakdowns, such as 81.5% women and 53.2% aged 28-39 years.
• Reports concrete percentages on key knowledge metrics, like 89.5% knowing the disease definition and 71.8% willing to treat patients.

Limitations

• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Data may reflect geographic bias inherent to the single-city study in Recife, Brazil.

Provenance

Source

Ana Cláudia Alves e Luna

Collection Method

Cross-sectional study using a standardized questionnaire administered to a representative sample of dentists.

Geography

Recife, northeastern Brazil