self-reported knowledge and attitude of dentists towards prescription of fluoride

objectives: this study aimed to assess the self-reported knowledge and attitude of dentists towards fluoride prescription. materials and methods: a questionnaire survey was conducted at the national annual dental congress in 2010 in tehran-iran. dentists’ level of knowledge about the preventive effects of systemic and topical administration of fluoride was assessed as well as their attitudes towards its application. self-reported practice for two paper patients (a child and an adult with high risk of dental caries) was assessed. data were analyzed using spss, chi-square test and logistic regression. results: a total of 347 dentists including 232 (73.4%) males and 84 (26.6%) females responded; 84.7% agreed/strongly agreed with addition of fluoride to water and 66% agreed with prescription of fluoride tablets/drops in fluoride-deficient areas. fluoridated toothpastes were considered useful by 85.3%; this rate was 78.7% for fluoride rinse and 87.6% for fluoride varnish, foam or gel. the majority of dentists (67.4%) reported no access to clear guidelines on fluoride application; 83% considered fluoride to be effective for caries prevention in children less than 12 years and 39.2% believed it was useful for adults and adolescents; 50% of the respondents correctly managed the high-risk child and adult with respect to appropriate selection of fluoride product. younger dentists (or=0.94; 95% ci 0.8-0.9; p=0.043) and new graduates (or=0.94; 95% ci 0.89-0.99; p=0.034) were more likely to correctly manage the high-risk child.   conclusion: dentists had good knowledge and positive attitudes towards fluoride application. new graduates were more likely to correctly manage the young high-risk patient.