Volume 26, Issue 125, July 2022

Knowledge and practice of primary healthcare physicians toward diagnosis of oral clefts through prenatal ultrasound imaging: An analytical cross-sectional study

Arwa Alahmadi^1♦, Majed Alghamdi²

¹Preventive medicine resident doctor, Saudi board of preventive medicine, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
²Consultant of preventive medicine and public health, Saudi board of preventive medicine, Ministry of health, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

^♦Corresponding author
Preventive medicine resident doctor, Saudi board of preventive medicine, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

ABSTRACT

Background: Oral clefts are of the common malformation in newborns. The prevalence of this condition varies worldwide. Numerous negative consequences are linked to oral clefts and affecting both a child and parents. The influence can be minimized through early detection, and multidisciplinary team management. Methods: This is an analytical cross-sectional study that utilized an online questionnaire to assess primary healthcare (PHC) physician’s knowledge about and practice toward prenatal diagnosis of oral clefts. Results: A total of 237 physicians with diversity in gender, age, and seniority level were included in the study. Overall knowledge and practice were insufficient in the sample. Several factors were significantly associated with level of knowledge and practice such as seniority level of the physician, and the hospital to which a physician reports (p-value<.05). Conclusion: Oral clefts are a devastating abnormality affecting children and parents life. An obvious paucity in knowledge and practice is observed among PHC physicians, and this necessitates a comprehensive training to establish competent PHC physicians in prenatal diagnosis of oral clefts.

Keywords: oral clefts, cleft lip, cleft palate, antenatal, primary healthcare

Medical Science, 2022, 26, ms306e2390

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.54905/disssi/v26i125/ms306e2390

Published: 26 July 2022