Knowledge, Attitude, and Perception of Special Care Dentistry (SCD) Among Dental Students At Cairo University.

February 14, 2025 updated by: Amira Gamal Fouad Mohamed Sherif, Cairo University

Knowledge, Attitude and Perception of Special Care Dentistry (SCD) Among Dental Students At the Faculty of Dentistry, Cairo University: a Cross-sectional Study

This study aims to understand dental students' perception of special needs dental care. The findings will offer analysis and valuable insights into students' interest, awareness and acceptance of Special Care Dentistry (SCD).The goal of this study is to identify gaps in dental education and training related to SCD. The results will help improve the curriculum and ensure that future dentists are better prepared to care for patients with special needs creating a more skilled and compassionate generation of professionals. This study is important because individuals with special needs often face challenges in accessing dental care, and improving dental education can help address this issue.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Detailed Description

Special Care Dentistry (SCD) is a specialized field dedicated to addressing the oral health needs of individuals with physical, mental, developmental, or cognitive impairments that make it challenging for them to access or receive standard dental care. These individuals are at a higher risk of oral diseases due to multiple barriers, including mobility restrictions, communication difficulties, behavioral challenges, and dependence on caregivers for oral hygiene maintenance. In addition to these personal and social barriers, the lack of adequate training among dental professionals further contributes to the difficulties special needs patients face in receiving proper dental care. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), over one billion people globally-approximately 15% of the population-live with disabilities. In Egypt, the 2017 census revealed that 10.77% of the population has some form of disability, with a significant number of adults aged 18-59 affected. Although Law No. 10 of 2018 on Persons with Disabilities emphasizes equal access to healthcare services, there is currently no structured national strategy that integrates SCD into the Egyptian healthcare system. While initiatives like the Takaful and Karama program provide financial and social support to individuals with disabilities, a dedicated framework for ensuring equitable access to dental care remains absent.Research has shown that individuals with special healthcare needs experience a higher prevalence of dental caries, periodontal disease, and other oral health issues due to challenges in maintaining oral hygiene and accessing dental services. Studies indicate that many dentists feel unprepared or reluctant to treat patients with disabilities, citing a lack of adequate training during their undergraduate education. In many dental schools, SCD is either insufficiently covered or entirely absent from the curriculum, leaving graduates without the necessary knowledge and clinical confidence to manage special needs patients effectively.Early exposure to SCD through structured theoretical education and hands-on clinical training has been shown to significantly improve dental students' competence and attitudes toward treating special needs patients. Countries such as Sweden, Denmark, Canada, and the United States have successfully integrated SCD into their dental education programs, ensuring that future dentists are equipped with the skills and knowledge required to provide inclusive oral healthcare. However, in Egypt, the extent to which dental students are trained in SCD remains unclear, highlighting the need for further investigation. This observational cross-sectional study aims to explore dental students' perceptions of SCD, focusing on their awareness, familiarity with SCD concepts, and attitudes toward managing patients with special healthcare needs. Additionally, it will assess students' evaluation of their current SCD education, identifying potential gaps that may hinder their preparedness to treat special needs patients in clinical practice. By analyzing these perspectives, the study seeks to provide valuable insights that can guide the development of more effective educational strategies. Enhancing dental education in this area is essential for producing a competent and confident workforce capable of addressing the unique oral healthcare needs of individuals with disabilities, ultimately improving access to equitable dental care.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
296

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

  • Egypt
      • Cairo, Egypt, 11562
        • Faculty of Dentistry, Cairo University
        • Contact:

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

The study population consists of undergraduate clinical dental students and interns from the Faculty of Dentistry, Cairo University. Participants will be drawn from 4th and 5th-year students and 6th-year interns to assess their perceptions, awareness, and preparedness regarding Special Care Dentistry (SCD). The study will use an electronic self-administered questionnaire to collect data over a 3-month period.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Currently enrolled as a 4th, 5th, or 6th-year dental student
  • Studying at the Faculty of Dentistry, Cairo University
  • Willing to voluntarily participate in the study

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Not enrolled in the 4th, 5th, or 6th year of the dental program at Cairo University
  • Do not provide informed consent to participate
  • Incomplete questionnaire responses

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Perception of dental students of Special Care Dentistry (SCD) regarding awareness, terminology and prior knowledge
Time Frame: Data would be collected online in the academic year 2024/2025
Awareness, terminology and prior knowledge is measured by a validated questionnaire used in the study by (Ramadhani et al.2024)
Data would be collected online in the academic year 2024/2025

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Cairo University

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
March 1, 2025

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
June 1, 2025

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
August 1, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
February 14, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
February 14, 2025

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
March 25, 2025

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
March 25, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
February 14, 2025

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
February 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • CONS 2-2-1:Preventive measures

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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