Assessment of Turkish dentists’ knowledge about managing avulsed teeth

An assessment of Brazilian dentists' knowledge about tooth fragment reattachment: A cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND/AIM

Crown fractures are common traumatic dental injuries and tooth fragment reattachment is a viable option for restoring a fractured tooth. The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge and experience of dentists in the Federal District regarding the tooth fragment reattachment technique for enamel and dentin fractures.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

For the cross-sectional observational study, an electronic form was designed with objective and self-report questions for dentists. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, with their absolute and relative frequencies. For the analysis of categorical variables, the nonparametric chi-squared or Fisher exact association tests were used in the statistical software R (version 4.2.1).

RESULTS

A total of 416 dentists participated in the study (58.9% female and 41.1% male). Of these, 70% declared they knew about fragment reattachment, but only 42.3% reported previous experience with this procedure. The most common storage medium used for the fractured fragment was milk (78.1%), and the bonding material used for reattachment was light-cured composite resin (86.3%). A majority (66.3%) reported that for a patient with enamel and dentin fracture, with the crown fragment in good condition, they would choose to do the reattachment.

CONCLUSION

Dentists demonstrated that they had adequate knowledge about the tooth fragment technique, although many did not have previous experience with this procedure.

Evaluation of Knowledge and Practice of Resident Dentists in Iasi, Romania in the Management of Traumatic Dental Injuries: A Cross-Sectional Study

Dentists play an essential role in the treatment of dental and periodontal traumatic injuries by providing early and correct treatment. The purpose of the present study was to assess the level of knowledge of dental residents regarding dental trauma. The cross-sectional study was conducted at the Faculty of Dental Medicine within the "Grigore T. Popa" University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Iasi, Romania on a sample of 366 residents in General Dentistry, Pediatric Dentistry and Periodontology. To assess their knowledge, a questionnaire was created containing 18 questions about the clinical signs and therapy of dental trauma, with a focus on tooth avulsion. A very low level of knowledge (<25%) was found only for the type of splinting required to maintain an avulsed tooth on the arch. The highest number of correct answers was provided by the residents in Periodontology. Physiological serum as storage medium was recognized by a percentage of 75.9-80% of the subjects, and 60-77% of them recognized pulp necrosis as complication of dental avulsion. The study underlines the need to introduce in the curriculum of all categories of residents additional information, not only in the already existent theoretical form, but also as possible scenarios of various clinical situations.

Comparison of effectiveness of different training tools on the level of knowledge about emergency management of avulsed teeth in non-dentists

Objective

Tooth avulsion is a type of trauma requiring an emergency response, and the level of knowledge of non-dentists on the emergency management of avulsed teeth is important for the prognosis of affected teeth. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of training given using different tools on the level of knowledge about the emergency management of avulsed teeth in non-dentists.

Methods

A total of 125 individuals (female, 32.8%; male, 67.2%; mean age, 38.5 ± 7.32 years) participated in the study. The participants were randomly assigned to three groups, and the training was offered to these groups using different training tools (group 1, storybook; group 2, poster; group 3, ToothSOS App). A survey was conducted on all participants to measure their knowledge levels before training (T0), immediately after (T1), and 1 month later (T2). The Mann-Whitney U, Kruskal-Wallis, Wilcoxon, and Friedman tests were used for statistical analysis.

Results

The participants' mean correct answer scores on a scale from 0 to 21 were 7.76 ± 4.00, 5.47 ± 4.71, and 7.38 ± 2.96 at T0 in groups 1, 2, and 3, respectively, and their mean scores increased to 14.68 ± 4.10, 13.74 ± 3.28, and 13.86 ± 3.01 at T1 and 13.41 ± 3.34, 12.34 ± 3.77, and 13.66 ± 3.56 at T2. The correct answer scores increased significantly at both T1 and T2 in all groups (p < 0.001).

Conclusion

None of the training tools used in the study was superior in increasing the level of knowledge. More comprehensive and long-term studies on this subject are needed.

Dentists' knowledge of dental trauma based on the International Association of Dental Traumatology guidelines: An Australian survey

Background/Aim

Traumatic dental injuries are the result of impact injuries to the teeth and/or soft and hard tissues within and around the vicinity of the oral cavity and pose a very serious public health dilemma. The aim of this study was to appraise the level of knowledge of dentists in Australia regarding the management of traumatic dental injuries based on the International Association of Dental Traumatology (IADT) guidelines.

Methodology

A link to an electronic questionnaire investigating personal and professional information and twelve questions about dental trauma was distributed by email using the Qualtrics Survey Software to ensure anonymity of the respondents, to members of the Australian Dental Association. The respondents were grouped according to demographic characteristics and practice profiles. Data were evaluated by the Student’s T test or one‐way ANOVA with post hoc testing using Fisher's least significant difference, with the α level set at 5%.

Results

A total of 180 complete responses were obtained. The overall mean number of correct answers was 7.55 ± 1.91 from a maximum possible score of twelve. Gender, year of primary dental qualification, dentist identity (general dentist or specialist), area of main practice or region worked by the practitioner did not significantly affect the mean scores. However, increased knowledge of the IADT guidelines was significantly associated with the number of trauma cases treated and the dentists' self‐reported knowledge.

Conclusions

The overall knowledge of Australian dentists regarding the management of traumatic dental injuries based on the IADT guidelines was generally good but it was also deficient in some areas.

Effectiveness of the ToothSOS App as a training tool for the emergency management of traumatic dental injuries among non-dentists

BACKGROUND/AIM

Traumatic dental injuries (TDIs) are a major and urgent problem in oral health. Therefore, non-dentists need to be conscious of the emergency management of TDIs. The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of the ToothSOS App on the level of knowledge about emergency management of TDIs among people who are not dental professionals.

MATERIALS METHODS

One hundred and five non-dentists, aged 22-57 years, participated in this study and were given training on TDIs. The ToothSOS App launched by the IADT was used as a training tool. A 25-question survey was conducted three times; before the ToothSOS App was downloaded and reviewed (T₀ ), immediately after (T₁ ), and one month later (T₂ ).

RESULTS

There was a statistically significant difference among the three time periods (p < .001) in terms of the knowledge about the management of TDIs, and the knowledge increased significantly (p < .001) at both T₁ and T₂ after reviewing the ToothSOS App. On a scale from 0 to 10, the mean correct scores increased from 2.85 ± 2.15 (median [min-max]: 2[0-10]) to 8.23 ± 2.21 (median [min-max]: 9 [1-10]) (effect size: 2.5) at T₁ and to 7.40 ± 2.34 (median [min-max]: 8 [1-10]) (effect size: 2.1) at T₂ .

CONCLUSION

The ToothSOS App as a training tool was effective to increase the knowledge level of individuals about the emergency management of TDIs.

Self-reported experience of orofacial injury, preventive practice, and knowledge of Iranian adolescent martial art athletes towards sports-related orofacial injuries

BACKGROUND

Increased engagement of adolescents in martial arts exposes them to a relatively high risk of experiencing orofacial injuries. We evaluated self-reported experience of orofacial injuries, preventive practice, and knowledge of management of sport-related orofacial injuries and related factors in adolescent Karate and Taekwondo athletes in Iran.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study was conducted on Iranian martial arts athletes including Karate and Taekwondo aged 11-17-year-old in 2020 via an online questionnaire. The anonymous self-administrated questionnaire had four parts: background (age, gender, duration of sports activity, training sessions per week, and previous education on orofacial injury); self-reported experience of orofacial injury; preventive practice including mouthguard and helmet use; and knowledge of emergency management of orofacial injuries. Preventive practice and knowledge scores were calculated by summing up the scores of corresponding questions (possibly range 0-7). A linear regression model and the Pearson correlation served for statistical analysis.

RESULTS

Totally, 295 athletes with a mean age of 14.56 ± 1.91 years participated in the study. A quarter (n = 74, 25.1%) of athletes stated that they had received training on prevention of orofacial injuries. Only 3.7% (n = 11) of the participants reported the use of custom-made mouthguards, and 62% (n = 183) reported a positive history of orofacial injuries. A significant relationship existed between self-reported orofacial injury and age (β = - 0.32, p < 0.001), hours of training per week (β = 0.12, p = 0.037), type of sport (β = 0.11, p = 0.049), and previous training on orofacial injuries (β = - 0.14, p = 0.010). No difference existed in the history of orofacial injury between females (n = 114) and males (n = 69) (p = 0.374). The mean score of self-reported preventive practice and knowledge of management of orofacial injuries was 3.53 ± 1.82 (out of 7) and 1.67 ± 1.10 (out of 7), respectively. Age (β = 0.19, p = 0.002) and history of orofacial injury (β = - 0.15, p = 0.010) were associated with the score of self-reported preventive practice. Female athletes (β = 0.11, p = 0.048) and athletes who exercised more per week (β = 0.15, p = 0.012) had significantly more knowledge on management of orofacial injuries.

CONCLUSION

Adolescent athletes had relatively undesirable preventive practices and a distinct lack of knowledge. The high occurrence of self-reported orofacial injuries indicates the importance of more education and stricter rules for the athlete population.

Knowledge, awareness and perception amongst dental practitioners towards natural tooth fragment reattachment procedures in clinical practice-A cross-sectional survey

BACKGROUND/AIM

Reattachment of a tooth fragment is a viable alternative to restore a fractured tooth. The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge, awareness and perception of dental practitioners towards tooth fragment reattachment procedures.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The cross-sectional study was conducted during 2019 and comprised dental practitioners working as general dentists or dental specialists. The subjects were asked to fill out a self-administered questionnaire. Questions related to knowledge and practice regarding fragment reattachment procedures were asked, and the responses were recorded. SPSS version 20.0 and the chi-square test were selected as the statistical tools for data analysis with significance level established at p < .05.

RESULTS

Eight hundred and fifty-seven subjects participated in the study. Of them, 404 (47%) were general dentists and 453 (53%) were specialist dentists. Out of the 857 subjects, 231 (27%) had clinical experience of less than 5 years, 268 (31.3%) between 5 and 10 years, 190 (22%) between 10 and 20 years and 168 (19.6%) had experience of over 20 years. Of the 857 subjects, 673 (78.5%) had some knowledge about the reattachment procedure and 292 (34.1%) had performed reattachment in clinical practice. The most common storage medium used for the fractured fragment was saline. The bonding material used for reattachment was lightcured composite resin. A subsequent fracture of the reattached fragment was encountered by more than 62% of the subjects.

CONCLUSIONS

Lack of availability of the fragment and lack of clinical training were the major reasons for clinicians not performing the procedure routinely. The attachment procedure was most often performed by both general dentists and specialist dentists with 5-10 years of clinical experience. Furthermore, the majority of the participants did not have any familiarity with the concept of biological restorations. Cross contamination was a major clinical concern for the limited clinical application of biological restorations.

Global status of knowledge for prevention and emergency management of traumatic dental injuries in dental professionals: Systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Dental professionals are the primary care providers for traumatic dental injuries (TDI). The dental traumatology literature has a number of studies evaluating the knowledge of dental professionals from different parts of the world but its global status is unknown. Hence, the aim of this systematic review was to assess the global status of knowledge for the prevention and emergency management of TDI in dental professionals and to provide recommendations for future research.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The protocol was designed as per the PRISMA guidelines and registered in PROSPERO (CRD42020192381). A broad-based search using text words and MeSH terms was performed in established databases as per a pre-defined strategy without any distinction of language and year of publication. Studies without details of the questionnaire, knowledge score, validity and reliability were excluded. Data extraction was performed, risk of bias assessment was done using the Joanna Briggs Institute's critical appraisal tool, and a meta-analysis was performed.

RESULTS

Sixteen studies, which had been published between 2008 and 2020, were included for qualitative synthesis. Most of them were cross-sectional, used convenience sampling and evaluated knowledge for avulsion. Previous dental trauma training was undertaken by <50% of the participants of five studies, <50% knew about the correct approach in management of complicated crown fractures in three studies and ≤60% in four studies knew the critical time for replantation. There was insufficient level of knowledge in >50% of the included studies. High risk of bias was found in three studies.

CONCLUSION

The knowledge level in several areas of the world was unknown. The studies lacked uniformity in methods and well-designed questionnaires and they revealed insufficient levels of knowledge among dental professionals.

Evaluating the knowledge level, attitudes, and therapeutic approaches of Greek dentists for traumatic dental injuries

BACKGROUND/AIM

Greek dentists are facing a new era of a globally continuous effort to improve the first-aid management and long-term treatment outcome of traumatic dental injuries (TDI). In Greece, where the basic and clinical research in the field of dental trauma has been limited until recently, assessing the attitudes and therapeutic strategies of Greek dentists for dental trauma is of great importance. The aim of this study was to evaluate the knowledge attitudes and therapeutic approaches of Greek dentists in different clinical scenarios of TDI.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted among 448 dentists. A questionnaire-based survey of demographic characteristics, attitudes, and a scenario-based knowledge test, of TDI, which was used to formulate a "Dental Trauma Knowledge Score" with a 0-8 score range, was administered. Mann-Whitney U tests (for two categories variables) and Kruskal-Wallis tests (for more than two categories variables) were performed.

RESULTS

The median knowledge score was 5.0 (IQR: 4-7), a level considered as "Acceptable." Knowledge scores were found to significantly differ by age group, with the younger dentists presenting the highest scores. Dentists with a self-evaluation as "Acceptable" had significantly higher scores. Most of the dentists would refer for CBCT in severe trauma cases. A significant association was found between younger ages and on awareness of the mobile application ToothSOS. Female dentists had significantly higher scores compared to males when asked about avulsion management.

CONCLUSION

An acceptable level of knowledge on TDI management was revealed among dentists in Greece. Higher knowledge scores were observed among younger dentists.

An Assessment of the Knowledge of Dentists on the Emergency Management of Avulsed Teeth

Objective

to investigate the knowledge and attitudes of general dental practitioners (GDPs) on the emergency management of avulsed teeth.The management of the avulsed teeth is well outlined in the latest trauma guideline. However, little information is available about the level of knowledge of the management of avulsed teeth among young dentists in Turkey.

Material and Methods

A cross-sectional questionnaire was completed to assess the knowledge of GDPs on the emergency management of avulsed teeth. The questionnaire asked questions to 142 dental practitioners about whether they have received information about the emergency management of dental trauma, whether they have intervened in cases of avulsed teeth following a dental trauma, and, finally, whether they have given treatment of avulsed teeth.

Results

The majority of GDPs had received training to treat avulsed teeth. The findings of the study showed that only 35% of GDPs recalled the critical time for treatment. The number of GDPs who had incorrect knowledge on this topic was higher and statistically significant (p<0.001). The rates of the correct answers according to the relevant information fields were as follows: optimal storage medium (78%), type of splint (56%), splinting period (58.5%), and systemic medication after avulsion (32%).

Conclusion

The results show that many GDPs had limited experience in treating avulsed teeth. However, in the study, it was stressed that the knowledge of GDPs related to the factors affecting the successful treatment of avulsion cases should be improved by using continuing education programs.