@phdthesis{Somaie2017,
  author    = {Dalia Somaie},
  title     = {Midwives involvement in the prevention of early childhood caries},
  journal    = {Das Engagement von Hebammen in der Pr{\"a}vention von Nuckelflaschenkaries},
  url       = {https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:gbv:9-002915-8},
  year      = {2017},
  abstract  = {Background: Early childhood caries remains an unsolved problem in children under three worldwide. Midwives are important health care persons around birth and can shape behavior. They possibly can play a positive role in preventing early childhood caries in young children. Objective: to assess how involved midwives are in early childhood caries prevention, what preventive measures they recommend and what knowledge they have about early childhood caries, as well as to study the potential differences between the various federal states or due to their work experience. Materials and Methods: An online survey targeted midwives in Germany regarding their knowledge about early childhood caries as well as the preventive measures they recommended. Participants were members of the German Association of Midwives (DHV). The survey invitation was published with the monthly newsletter and in the association journal of the DHV. Data was collected anonymously. Results: 191 midwives nationwide responded to the questionnaire. Most midwives were aware about ECC prevalence, consequences, causes and the teeth mainly affected. Midwives gave excellent recommendations regarding diet, oral hygiene and avoiding prolonged bottle feeding. However, only 40.8\% of midwives recommended the first dental visit with the eruption of the first tooth. 71.7\% recommended a fluoride tooth paste with the eruption of the first tooth. The rest advised a later use or non-fluoridated toothpaste. Regional differences were minimal. Conclusion: Midwives have good oral health knowledge, but there is some variability in recommendations on the first dental visit and the use of fluoride toothpaste which reflects an inconsistency of professional recommendations delivered by different health care institutions in Germany.},
  language  = {en}
}