Survey of Initial Management for Cleft Lip and Palate Patients by Primary Dentists in the Upper North of Thailand
This descriptive study aimed to survey initial management for cleft lip and palate patients by general dentists in community hospitals in the upper part of northern Thailand, including required academic support. Dentists who had ever trained in orthodontics or oral surgery were excluded. Constructed questionnaires were used for data collections. From the survey, the 142 subjects, average age of 30.5 years and average working experience of 6 years, 63% females and 37% males, were recruited in the study. Eighty-two percent of the subjects obtained the DDS degree from the Chiang Mai University; eighty ›one percent have no any further post graduated dental training. From all of the samples, only thirty ›eight percent had experienced of cleft care. Patterns in the initial management, including giving treatment, giving information and referring, were related with potency of the dentists and patient age. Fortyfour percent were interested in being a part of the cleft care while 71% needed more academic support.
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