Clinical conduct of dental surgeons in the dental care of patients with Parkinson’s disease

ABSTRACT Objective To evaluate the clinical conduct of dental surgeons in the care of patients with Parkinson’s disease. Methods An electronic questionnaire (n=229) was applied to dental surgeons working in the city of Maceió (AL) (n=229) containing 20 statements based on previous studies. The data were analyzed descriptively and statistically, with a significant level of 5% (p<0.05). Results The majority of dentists were female (71.1%), graduated less than 10 years ago (74.7%) and Specialists (43.7%), with emphasis on Dental Prosthesis (18.12%), in addition to only working in the private network (61.4%). The internal consistency of the questionnaire statements was substantial (Cronbach’s alpha=0.632). The majority of professionals disagreed with the literature in only one of the statements (n=95; 41.5%). There were no statistically significant associations related to gender and time since graduation. There was a statistical difference for those who only provide private care in statements 11 (p=0.040) and 14 (p=0.047). The majority stated that they had never seen patients with Parkinson’s disease (70.3%) and did not feel prepared for this care (50.7%). Conclusion Dental surgeons demonstrated the ability to provide dental care to individuals with Parkinson’s disease, however, the majority have never performed this type of care and feel insecure about doing so. Measures such as publication of protocols, update cycles and clinical practices at undergraduate level could reduce this insecurity among professionals.