Background:
Traumatic dental and facial injuries are one of the most common body injuries that require dental emergency care. The aim of the present study was to assess the knowledge and attitude of medical doctors towards the emergency management of dental trauma.
Methodology:
A cross-sectional survey was carried out involving 1000 medical doctors who had voluntarily accepted to participate in the study. A self-administered questionnaire comprising of close-ended questions was employed for the data collection. Questions targeted emergency management of avulsed tooth. Statistical analysis was performed for the collected data using the Chi-square test.
Results:
The present study found that the frequency of occurrence of soft tissue injuries of the face was 40%, laceration injuries were 60%, the maxillary bone fracture was 30%, intraoral soft tissue injuries of the lip was 44%, avulsion was 35%, and frequency of dental trauma of maxillary central incisor was 42%. Furthermore, the rate of responders who had knowledge about the reimplantation was found to be 47%, and the frequency of responders who had knowledge about the time of reimplantation was 20%. The frequency of responders recognizing the importance of preservation of tooth for reimplantation was 15%, whereas the frequency of responders who did not have knowledge regarding the preference of preservative medium was 41%. The rate of responders who had not seen traumatic injuries of primary teeth was 20%, and the most frequently used first aid was found to be tetanus injection (40%).
Conclusion:
Knowledge of dental injuries and their emergency management among medical professionals/doctors were found to be inadequate. Appropriate training should be provided to the medical doctors which could effectively increase their knowledge and awareness regarding dental injuries and their emergency care.
Key words: Dental trauma, frequency, medical doctors, survey
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