Knowledge of lay people and dentists in emergency management of dental trauma

Abstract

The multidisciplinary nature of the follow-up evaluations of traumatic dental injuries (TDI) requires that both the lay public and practitioners possess knowledge of the treatment strategies involved. The aim of this paper was to assess the level of knowledge of elementary public schoolteachers, parents and dentists of the city of Joaçaba, Southern Brazil, about the emergency management of TDI. Three independent cross sectional studies were carried out involving samples of elementary public schoolteachers (n = 245), parents (n = 107) and dentists (n = 85) in the city in 2001. Data were collected through structured interviews for schoolteachers and dentists, and questionnaires for parents, containing questions about socio-demographic characteristics and about incidents resulting in TDI. The responses in the three studies showed a wide variability of indicated procedures for the situations of TDI proposed. The results of association studies showed that older schoolteachers (P = 0.003), older dentists (P = 0.013) and dentists who had graduated more recently (P = 0.032) chose significantly more correct answers in some TDI incidents. The answers of schoolteachers, parents and dentists showed a wide variability of indicated procedures for the situations proposed. The great majority of them would not follow the approaches most recommended in the literature. A greater importance should be placed on TDI through educational campaigns aiming schoolteachers and parents and also through undergraduation and postgraduation dental curricula in order of improving its management.