title: Oral health knowledge of health care workers in special children's center.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the oral health knowledge of health care workers in special children's center.
  
  
  METHODS
  A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect following information: demographics, oral hygiene practices, importance of fluoride, dental visits, cause of tooth decay, gingival health, and sources of oral health information. The study was conducted at Riyadh Center for Special Children in Riyadh City from December 2013 to May 2014.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All 60 health care workers in the center completed the questionnaire. A great majority (95%) of the workers brushed their teeth twice or more daily. More than two-third (71.7%) of the workers knew that fluoride helps in caries prevention. One in five (21.7%) workers thought that a dental visit only becomes necessary in case of a dental problem. Similarly, 13.3% of the workers thought to "wait till there is some pain in case of a dental cavity" before seeking dental treatment. The workers ranked soft drinks/soda (98.3%), flavored fizzy drinks (60%) and sweetened/flavored milks (43.3%) as top three cariogenic drinks. A great majority (95%) of the workers correctly responded that blood on toothbrush most probably is a sign of "gum disease". Dentists (50%) and media (45%) were the main source of their oral health information. There was no significant difference (p > 0.05) in workers' response in relation to their specific job.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The special health care workers in the disabled children's center generally had satisfactory oral health knowledge and practices.
authors: Amjad Wyne, MDS. Professor, Department of Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics, King Saud University College of Dentistry, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors: Amjad
authors: A
authors: Wyne
authors: Nouf Hammad, MSc. Associate Professor, Department of Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics, King Saud University College of Dentistry, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors: Nouf
authors: N
authors: Hammad
authors: Christian Splieth, PhD. Professor, Preventive and Pediatric Dentistry, University of Greifswald, Rotgerberstr, Germany.
authors: Christian
authors: C
authors: Splieth
keywords: Oral health knowledge; Special children; Special health workers