การจัดการผู้ป่วยที่มีปัญหาการทำหน้าที่ของระบบบดเคี้ยวโดยทันตแพทย์ภาครัฐในภาคตะวันออกเฉียงเหนือของไทย / จิตตวดี บุญธรรม = Management of masticatory system dysfunction patients by public dentists in North-Eastern Thailand / Jitawadee Boontham
Objectives: To investigate the information obtaining from pubic dentists in north-east Thailand in management of masticatory system dysfunction patients. Materials and Methods: 857 dentists working at public health service in north-east part of Thailand were surveyed by using mailed questionnaires. Concerned data was processed under descriptive statistics. Result: There were mails with enough information derived from 509 respondents. They were 139 male and 370 female dentists with aged ranged 24 to 58 years (mean age 33.9 years) practicing in regional hospital, general hospital, community hospital and others. Most of them (75.2%) had a practice profile as a combination of general and specialty practice. No occlusion specialist was found. All had found patients with at least one signs or symptoms of dysfunctional masticatory system. Most of them (98.8%) had found patients suffer from hypersensitivity due to attrition of teeth/restoration, next (68.7-88.4%) had found patients with temporomandibular disorders(TMD) and some of them (53.2-70.3%) had found patients with occlusal and chewing problems. Dentists had investigated and managed their patients based on various symptoms. Some were referring their patients to other medical personnel and most likely referring to other dentists with main causes as the lack of personnel, knowledge/skill and equipements. Dentists in community hospital were more likely to refer their patients to other public health hospital, while dentists in general and regional hospitals were more likely to refer their patients to faculty of dentistry due to better equipped facilities. Conclusion: Public dentist in North-eastern Thailand had found patients with masticatory system dysfunction in general. They had managed their patients with some level.
