Evaluation of knowledge toward oral and maxillofacial surgery in general physicians of Yazd Province in 2017

Abstract

Introduction: The scope of oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMFS) is extensive and good knowledge about OMFS among different healthcare providers will be essential for referral of the patient. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the knowledge of general physicians of Yazd Province about the field of oral and maxillofacial surgery.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 112 general physicians of Yazd Province in 2017 were randomly selected. A valid and reliable questionnaire was used to collect data. The questionnaire included personal information (years of graduation, work experience and university) and one knowledge question (16 parts) from referral to specialists. Data analysis was performed using statistical software SPSS 17 and T-test.

Results: The mean scores of physicians' knowledge about the oral and maxillofacial surgery were 13.22 ± 2.68 of 16 scores. There was no significant correlation between the years of graduation, work experience, university, with knowledge of referral to the oraland maxillofacial surgeon.

Conclusion: The findings of this study showed that knowledge of general physicians in Yazd about the role of oral and maxillofacial surgeons in the management of injuries and oral and maxillofacial problems is high.