Preferences and Perceptions of Paediatric Dentists’ Attire among 4-12-year-old Children: A Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

Introduction: Dentists’ attire includes their choice of clothes and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) required to follow infection control measures. Investigating and understanding the paediatric patient’s preferences and perceptions towards the dentist’s attire can aid in establishing a more efficient and smoother relationship between them. Aim: To determine the children’s preferences and perceptions of their paediatric dentist’s attire and PPE among four to 12- year-old children. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study included four to 12-year-old Arabic-speaking children attending Department of Paediatric Dentistry, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia for dental treatment with their parents/ guardians between February 2022 and April 2022. Data were collected from the participants using a validated Arabic electronic questionnaire to determine their preferences regarding different parts and types of the dentist’s attire and PPE, as well as their perceptions and feelings of comfort towards the dentist wearing the full standard PPE. Data were summarised as frequencies and percentages for categorical variables or means and standard deviations for continuous variables. The significance threshold was set at 0.05. Results: A total of 362 participants with a mean age of 8.4±2.3 years and their parents/guardians participated in the study. Female dentists were significantly more favoured by both male and female participants, with statistical significance among females (p<0.001) and younger participants (p<0.001). Both males and females (p=0.025) and older participants (p = 0.001) significantly favoured the traditional white coats over colourful paediatric coats. Furthermore, older participants significantly preferred surgical masks over paediatric masks (p<0.001), face shields as eye protection (p<0.001), and no head cover over colourful paediatric caps (p<0.001). Male participants showed significantly better acceptability towards the dentist wearing the full standard PPE. Conclusion: Both genders and younger children preferred female dentists. The traditional white coat is the most preferred attire by both genders and older children. Male and older children showed higher acceptability for the full standard PPE.