Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Dental Practitioners in Providing Care to Children in Out-of-Home Care: A Scoping Review

Andrea Fenwicke, Ajesh George, Stacy Blythe and Neeta Prabhu ()
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Andrea Fenwicke: School of Dentistry, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2050, Australia
Ajesh George: School of Dentistry, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2050, Australia
Stacy Blythe: Australian Centre for Integration of Oral Health (ACIOH), School of Nursing and Midwifery, Western Sydney University, Liverpool, NSW 2750, Australia
Neeta Prabhu: School of Dentistry, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2050, Australia

IJERPH, 2024, vol. 21, issue 6, 1-16

Abstract: A scoping review was conducted to synthesize available evidence of knowledge, attitudes, and practices of dental practitioners in providing care to children in out-of-home care (OOHC). Scientific databases and the grey literature were searched: 855 studies were screened after removing duplicates; 800 studies were excluded based on the title and/or abstract, and the full text of 55 studies was reviewed, with 7 included in the analysis. These included three peer-reviewed articles regarding the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of dental practitioners in providing care to children in OOHC, as well as four guidelines. Dental practitioners had some knowledge of the high health care needs of OOHC children, but knowledge regarding when children entering care received dental assessment and about OOHC dental care pathways was low. Practices of dental practitioners were varied, most gave oral hygiene instructions, but there was inconsistency in practices regarding continuity of care following placement changes and failure to attend policies. There was more consensus with dental practitioner attitudes, with practitioners in private settings seeming to prefer not to treat children in OOHC. Three of the identified guidelines provided logistical information about OOHC and consent. The final guideline gave practical information on treating children with a background of adverse childhood events (ACEs), including children in OOHC. Further research and education is warranted to aid dental practitioners in providing care to children in OOHC.

Keywords: out-of-home care; oral health; dental practitioners; perceptions; practices (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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