Pediatrician' Knowledge of the Importance of Stem Cells in Primary Teeth in Isfahan City

Abstract

Stem cells that are present in the pulp of primary teeth can be used for treating several diseases as well as renovation and regeneration. This research dealt with the pediatrician's awareness of the importance of primary teeth stem cells in Isfahan. This descriptive-analytic, cross-sectional study was done on 97 pediatricians of the city of Isfahan and based on a structured questionnaire. To analyze data, t-test, one-way ANOVA, Spearman correlation coefficient, and Pearson correlation coefficient (alpha = 0.05 and Cronbach's alpha coefficient ( =alpha 0.05) were used. 96/9 of the sample were familiar with the overall concept of the term "stem cell". Out of a total number of samples 52 were female (53/6) and 45 were male (46/4). The average age of the total sample was 48 years. The average score of knowledge in the entire sample was 5/63 +/- 3/15 based on 0-13 and the average score of attitudes was 48/13 +/- 6/96 based on 13-65. Pearson correlation coefficient revealed that there was a direct, relative correlation between the average score of knowledge and attitude (p value=0/001 r=0/33), with the positive attitude the awareness increased. However, there was no significant relationship between the mean score of age and knowledge was found (r = -0.7, p-value = 0.176). The data of this study showed a relatively high positive attitude and limited knowledge of using stem cells in dentistry among pediatricians.