Clinical Practice and Diagnostic Confidence Regarding Pediatric Oral Mucosal Lesions Among Dentists, Pediatricians, and General Practitioners: A Cross-Sectional Study

TL;DR

This study compares how confident dentists, pediatricians, and general practitioners are in diagnosing and managing oral mucosal lesions in children.

Contribution

The study reveals significant differences in diagnostic confidence and management practices among different healthcare professionals regarding pediatric oral mucosal lesions.

Findings

Dentists reported significantly higher diagnostic confidence and knowledge of pediatric oral health compared to other professionals.

Most pediatricians and general practitioners routinely examine children's oral cavities but refer more often for treatment.

High willingness to attend future pediatric oral health education was observed across all professional groups.

Abstract

Background: Pediatric oral mucosal lesions are common and may indicate local or systemic disease, yet their recognition in primary healthcare often depends on non-dental professionals. Aim: To assess the preparedness of dentists, pediatricians, and family/general practitioners for pediatric oral mucosal conditions based on self-assessed diagnostic confidence, clinical management, and referral behavior. Methods: An online cross-sectional survey was conducted among 632 primary healthcare professionals (dentists: n = 262; family/general practitioners: n = 278; pediatricians: n = 92). The questionnaire assessed clinical exposure, self-assessed knowledge, diagnostic confidence, management practices, and referral patterns. Data were analyzed using chi-square or Fisher’s exact test and the Kruskal–Wallis test (p < 0.05). Results: Dentists reported significantly higher self-assessed knowledge and diagnostic confidence than pediatricians and family/general practitioners (p < 0.001). Good self-assessed knowledge of pediatric oral health was reported by 26.3% of dentists, compared with 7.9% of family/general practitioners and 6.5% of pediatricians. While most pediatricians (80.4%) and family/general practitioners (77.0%) reported routinely examining the oral cavity in children, independent treatment of oral mucosal lesions was more frequently reported by dentists (75.2%) than by pediatricians (52.2%) or family/general practitioners (70.9%) (p < 0.001). Referral patterns differed between groups, and willingness to attend future pediatric oral health education was high across all professionals (75.0–84.2%). Conclusions: Dentists demonstrated higher diagnostic confidence in pediatric oral mucosal lesions than pediatricians and family/general practitioners, who more often relied on referral. These findings support the value of targeted education and strengthened interdisciplinary collaboration in primary pediatric healthcare.