Revista de patología y medicina dental.

Abstracto

Teachers' knowledgew regarding management of dental trauma in alkharj, ksa

Afnan I Alsaleem

Children and adolescents are subjected to facial injuries because of their additional activities; the most is the dental and oral injuries. In nearly all cases of dental injuries, immediate and appropriate management of traumatic dental injuries is an important determinant of prognosis. This requires an individual to have knowledge and experience, and to be available at the area where the trauma happened. The purpose of this study was to assess awareness and knowledge of school teachers in rural area, Alkharj, Saudi Arabia regarding management of dental trauma. A self administered questionnaire was used to survey teacher's demographic data, awareness and knowledge of management of soft tissue injury, tooth fracture, and tooth avulsion. Forty-eight schools were visited in AlKharj area and 1300 questionnaires were distributed to male and female teachers. Data was analyzed using SPSS software version 20.0, and Chi-square test was used for comparison. Results showed that more than 65% of the teachers considered that all kinds of dental trauma need emergency treatment. About 40% of the teachers thought that carrying the fractured segment of the crown to the dentist is beneficial. The majority of the teachers thought that immediate professional help should be sought if a permanent tooth is avulsed, however, most of them will not personally reimplant the tooth. The majority of teachers were not aware of the most favorable storage media for avulsed teeth. In conclusion, there was insufficient knowledge and awareness among teachers in Alkharj area regarding dental traumatic injuries.