Knowledge, attitude, and awareness of mothers toward emergency management of dental trauma in high literacy population

Abstract

Aims and Objectives: Most important oral health problem observed in childhood is dental trauma. This frequently occurs at home or during outdoor activities so emergency care is essential for good prognosis of the injury. For the better prognosis, parents have important role. Before planning educational promotion, it is essential to consider the understanding level of parents, where mothers play an important role. Evaluation of the knowledge, attitude as well as awareness in mothers toward immediate management in traumatic dental injuries. Materials and Methods: A 3-month survey was conducted among 120 mothers who visited the Department of Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry for treatment. Fifteen closed-ended questions based on knowledge, attitude, and awareness were provided to the mothers, who were between 20 and 60 years of age. Results were statistically evaluated by using chi-square test, and the level of significance was set as P ˂ 0.05. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) was used for the statistical analysis. Independent two sample t-test was applied for comparing the mean difference of numerical variables between groups. Results: Results indicated the low knowledge level of mothers about immediate management of traumatic dental injuries. Residential status as well as education of mothers did not affect their awareness toward dental trauma, mother’s experience also had no effect in the preservation of avulsed tooth. No statistical significance was observed in either of the cases. Conclusion: The assessment showed a want of awareness and knowledge in mothers toward emergency management of traumatic dental injuries. Knowledge of parents in this area needs to be improved by educational programs.