Dentists' Attitudes Towards Pharmacological Management of Acute Pain in Children and Adolescents - a Follow-up Survey

The aim of this study is to investigate Swedish dentists' attitudes about pain management when treating children and adolescents by assessing 1) dentists' recommendations for the use of pre- and postoperative analgesics, (2) use of local anaesthesia during treatment of primary and permanent teeth, and (3) if the use of these strategies differs between General Dental Practitioners (GDP) and Specialist Paediatric Dentists (SPD).

All Swedish SPDs (including post-graduate dentists in paediatric dentistry), circa 150 in total, and approximately 1,000 GDPs in County Skåne, Sweden will be invited to answer a questionnaire.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Pain Management
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Survey

Detailed Description

This survey study is follow-up to a survey carried out in 2014, addressed to Swedish General Dental Practitioners (GDPs) and Specialist Paediatric Dentists (SPDs). The aim of this study is to investigate Swedish dentists' attitudes about pain management when treating children and adolescents by assessing 1) dentists' recommendations for the use of pre- and postoperative analgesics, 2) use of local anaesthesia during treatment of primary and permanent teeth, and 3) if the use of these strategies differs between GDPs and SPDs.

All SPDs (including post-graduate dentists in paediatric dentistry) in Sweden, circa 150 in total, and approximately 1,000 GDPs, will be invited to answer the questionnaire. To be included GDPs need to have registered addresses in county Skåne, Sweden, and be accredited to provide dental care to children and adolescents by Region Skåne, the regional public health and dental care provider. A questionnaire along with written information about the study and two consent forms will be mailed to presumptive study participants. Those willing to participate in the study are asked to return (postage prepaid) one signed consent form and the completed questionnaire. The questionnaire is adapted from one previously used in Sweden. It contains demographic questions, and questions regarding work situation. These questions are followed by four clinical scenarios, and questions relating to use of pain management practices. Responses are given on a 5-point Likert scale. The final questions are open ended and concern the use of pre- and postoperative analgesics.

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Actual): 719

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Sweden
  • Skåne
    • Malmö, Skåne, Sweden, 205 06
      • Malmö University

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Child; Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: N/A

• Sampling Method: Probability Sample

Study Population

General Dental Practitioners with a civil registration address in County Skåne, Sweden, and Specialist Paediatric Dentists in Sweden.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

General Dental Practitioners with a civil registration address in County Skåne, Sweden.

Specialist Paediatric Dentists in Sweden.

Exclusion Criteria:

Not accredited to provide dental care to children and adolescents (applies to General Dental Practitioners).

≥ 65 years of age

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Number of groups / cohorts

2

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort	Intervention / Treatment
General Dental Practitioners; Participants are asked to complete a survey about pain management strategies.	Behavioral: Survey; Participants complete survey about pain management practices
Specialist Paediatric Dentists; Participants are asked to complete a survey about pain management strategies.	Behavioral: Survey; Participants complete survey about pain management practices

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Attitudes towards management of acute pain	Dentists' attitudes towards pharmacological management of acute pain in children and adolescents measured on a 5 point Likert scale, ranging from 'always' to 'never'.	4 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Malmö University
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Gunilla Klingberg, Professor, Malmö University

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Berlin H, List T, Ridell K, Klingberg G. Dentists' attitudes towards acute pharmacological pain management in children and adolescents. Int J Paediatr Dent. 2018 Mar;28(2):152-160. doi: 10.1111/ipd.12316. Epub 2017 Jul 10.
• Wondimu B, Dahllof G. Attitudes of Swedish dentists to pain and pain management during dental treatment of children and adolescents. Eur J Paediatr Dent. 2005 Jun;6(2):66-72.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): April 1, 2023
• Primary Completion (Actual): November 1, 2023
• Study Completion (Actual): December 1, 2024

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: June 7, 2023
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 15, 2023
• First Posted (Actual): June 22, 2023

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): May 18, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 14, 2025
• Last Verified: May 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Pain; Neurologic Manifestations; Acute Pain
• Other Study ID Numbers: FO 2021/536

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No