Knowledge of emergency management of avulsed tooth among undergraduate preclinical and clinical dental students: Questionnaire-based study

Abstract

Background: Dental students in the community are considered as dentists and are expected or might be asked to provide emergency aid, especially when the problem related to the teeth as in the case of avulsion. Aim: The aim of this study is to assess and compare the knowledge and practice of 2nd- and 5th-year undergraduate dental students regarding management of tooth avulsion. Materials and Methods: Descriptive cross-sectional study among registered and regular attendee 2nd- and 5th-year dental students from nine dental schools in Khartoum state. The study was conducted during period from November 2015 to February 2016. Sample size was 309 (186 from 2nd year and 98 from 5th year) out of total number of 1575. Participants were selected by systematic random sampling technique. Self-administered questionnaire was used to assess the knowledge of emergency management of avulsed tooth. Comparison between variables by Chi-square test with the level of significance set at P < 0.05. Results: Majority of 5th-year students have enough information about avulsion and its emergency management while very few of 2nd-year students have the correct knowledge. Only 12.4% of 2nd-year students mentioned the correct storage media where an avulsed tooth can be placed compared to 64.3% of 5th-year students. There was also no statistical significant difference of P = 0.186 when knowledge about avulsion in students who personally experienced dental trauma was compared to those who did not have an experience of dental trauma. Conclusion: Second-year undergraduate dental students had poor knowledge about emergency management of avulsed tooth. Experience of dental trauma and students gender have no significant association with the management of tooth avulsion.