Awareness and prevention of patient gag reflex among pedodontists in India: A web-based survey

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this study is to devise a reliable and valid web-based survey to predict the awareness level and prevention of patient's gag reflex among Indian pedodontists. Materials and Methods: An 11-question predictive gagging survey was created, refined, and tested on 377 pedodontists. The questions focused on age group, common procedure associated with gag reflex and the most common technique adapted by dentists in their clinics to prevent gag. Results: There was no statistically significant difference in gagging reflex among age groups with 53.5% of patients reported anxiety and fear as a main cause of gag; behavioral modification technique was considered as the most reliable method for gagging prevention in 68.5% of patients and there was no statistically significant difference in gagging severity index among patients irrespective of age, causes, and methods used to prevent it. Conclusion: The web-based gagging survey established that level of awareness regarding management of patient's gag is significantly low among pedodontists in India and hence is a major hindrance in the clinical practice.

Keywords

• Anxiety
• fear
• gag
• gagging severity index
• pedodontist