Knowledge of the technical standard of the odontogram among dentists of a private university in Peru

Daniela G.-A.D.L.; Alejandro M.-S.G.; Maynor C.-S.K. · Revista del Cuerpo Medico Hospital Nacional Almanzor Aguinaga Asenjo (2025) · DOI: 10.35434/rcmhnaaa.2025.182.2705

Resumen

Introduction: In 2022 Peru approved the technical standard for dental charts, which standardizes information in medical records for legal purposes and professional accountability. Objective: The purpose of the study was to determine dentists’ knowledge of the technical standard for dental charts. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional observational study included a sample of 187 dentists (116 faculty members and 71 postgraduate students) aged 22 to 62 years (65.5% females, mean age: 38.22 ± 12.19) from a private university in Lima. A questionnaire consisting of 30 questions, scored from 0 to 30 points, was proportionally distributed across three dimensions: clinical findings (D1), regulations (D2), and terminology (D3). Demographic data on age, sex, type of participant/study, and length of professional experience were included. The questionnaire underwent construct validation by exploratory factor analysis (Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin = 0.5; Bartlett < 0.001) and reliability of internal consistency (KR-20 = 0.78). Pearson’s correlation tests, the Student’s T-test, and one-way ANOVA with Tukey’s post-hoc analysis were used with a significance level of P < 0.05. Results: The overall knowledge score was 19.96 ± 2.74, with scores of 4.26 ± 1.7 in D1, 7.25 ± 1.21 in D2, and 8.45 ± 1.2 in D3. More than 79% of dentists correctly answered 7 items in D2 and 6 items in D3, whereas more than 60% incorrectly answered 5 items in D1 and 2 Items in D2. Total knowledge was not associated with demographic variables (P ≥ 0.067). Conclusions: The participating dentists exhibited average knowledge of the technical standard for dental charting, with better results in relation to the recording of dental anomalies, pathologies, and treatments.

Instituciones: Universidad Científica del Sur