Background: The majority of young children receive no early dental examination while attending primary health\ncare for routine check-ups. Our aim was to study primary care nurses� knowledge of oral health care (OHC) and their\nattitudes toward delivering OHC, as well as to assess their willingness to obtain OHC information.\nMethods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey of all primary-care nurses working in the public health centres of\nTehran city. An anonymous self-administered questionnaire queried their knowledge in paediatric-, general and\nmedicine-related areas of dentistry, providing knowledge scores for three domains. The nurses� attitudes toward\nOHC and their willingness to obtain OHC information underwent evaluation with statements utilizing a five-point\nLikert scale. Altogether 680 nurses took part in the survey. The Chi-square test, t-test, one-way ANOVA and logistic\nregression model served for statistical analyses.\nResult: The mean score for the paediatric dentistry domain (3.6, SD: 1.5) was lower than for the medical (4.4, SD: 2.3)\nand dental domains (5.8, SD: 1.5). Obtaining higher scores in the paediatric (OR = 1.2) and dental (OR = 1.3) domains,\nand a greater willingness to receive OHC information (OR = 5.3), were associated with a positive attitude toward OHC.\nNurses with a lower education (OR = 1.9) and better oral health behaviour (OR = 1.1) as well as those working in a\nnon-affluent region (OR = 1.6) had a more positive attitude toward OHC.\nConclusion: Primary care nurses� low level of knowledge in OHC and their positive attitude and willingness to obtain\nmore information point to the need for appropriate OHC training and encouragement for the nurses to promote oral\nhealth and prevent dental diseases
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