First aid in dental trauma in pediatric age

Evaluation of the knowledge level of pediatricians on dental trauma and their awareness of the ToothSOS mobile application: A cross sectional study

BACKGROUND/AIM

Pediatricians play an essential role in managing pediatric oral emergencies; hence, they should have accurate information on dental injuries. This study aimed to assess the knowledge level of pediatricians regarding traumatic dental injuries (TDI) and their awareness of the ToothSOS mobile application.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A survey comprising 10 questions was created on Google forms, and the links were sent to the participants via electronic mail and a mobile application. The demographic characteristics and the knowledge level of pediatricians about TDI and their awareness of the ToothSOS mobile application were evaluated. The questions were prepared by following similar studies and the current guidelines of the International Association of Dental Traumatology.

RESULTS

A total of 229 pediatricians (74.2% female) participated in this study. The correct answer rates revealed statistical differences in terms of profession and experience on the following issues: the most frequently traumatized tooth, the preference of the antibiotic agent, and the management of avulsed primary tooth (p < .05). The decision to consult a dentist revealed statistical differences in the profession (p = .001). The correct answers on the correlation between the age group and dental trauma accompanied by soft tissue injuries showed statistical differences in experience (p = .005). Although none of the participants knew the ToothSOS application, 91.7% of them preferred using this tool in future practices. This rate was statistically higher in participants with an experience of more than 10 years (p = .013).

CONCLUSIONS

The knowledge level of pediatricians regarding dental trauma was found to be sufficient, except for the questions on avulsion injuries. However, the fact that the participants were unaware of the ToothSOS mobile application was the most considerable result of the study, and this finding highlighted the importance of informing pediatricians dealing with oral injuries regarding the latest updates on dental traumatology.

Knowledge on Pre-Hospital Emergency Management of Tooth Avulsion among Croatian Students of the Faculty of Education

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the knowledge regarding tooth avulsion and dental first aid response among Croatian students of the Faculty of Education. A cross-sectional study was conducted among students. Participants (N = 235) were female with an average age of 21.9 ± 2.7 years. The questionnaire contained 10 close-ended questions with two to eleven possible answers. Every participant chose one correct answer. Statistical significance was determined using a Chi-square test. Majority of participants had never received any kind of information on management of a knocked-out tooth. Questions in the nature of tooth injuries, a knocked-out tooth, tooth replantation and whether the knocked-out tooth should be placed back were answered confirmatively by 40.43%, 83.40%, 57.02% and 62.55% of participants, respectively. The questionnaire showed that 18.78% of participants were aware that replantation should be performed within 30 min. The appropriate cleaning and transport medium was chosen by 40.85% and 35.31% of participants, respectively. A nearby dentist would be visited by 66.38% of students. Only 8.08% of participants provided a correct answer to all of the knowledge-based questions. The “I do not know” answer was chosen by 18.30% of participants whenever it was offered. This indicates that the majority (89.78%) were not aware of the fact that the procedure they chose would be inappropriate. The current study confirmed that future primary school teachers have a lack of knowledge for immediate response to tooth avulsion, leaving small chances for a successful prognosis of tooth replantation.