Knowledge of upper primary and secondary school physical education instructors in Davangere city, India, about emergency management of dental trauma

Abstract

Background: Injury to both, primary and the permanent dentitions and their supporting structures is one of the most common dental problems seen in children. Studies on dental trauma have shown that most dental accidents in children occur at home, followed by school. The prognosis of traumatized teeth depends on prompt and appropriate treatment, which often relies on people such as the child's parents and school teachers who are present at the site of accident, prior to the initial dental contact, and who may have only little information about the prompt steps that need to be taken incase such a traumatic injury occurs. Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the knowledge of upper primary and secondary school Physical Education instructors in Davangere city, India, about emergency management of dental trauma. Materials and Methods: A total of 109 physical education instructors from 87 upper primary and secondary schools were included in the questionnaire based survey. Results: Majority of the respondents said that their training included first aid training. Only 10.1% recalled that their course covered management of dental trauma. Although about 70% of the respondents were aware about management of fractured tooth, the knowledge regarding avulsed tooth was poor. Vast majority of the respondents felt that they required further training to manage such trauma cases. Over 70% of teachers indicated that it was urgent to seek professional help for tooth avulsion; however, they had little knowledge regarding correct procedures for replanting and storing avulsed tooth.Conclusion: Although the upper primary and secondary school physical education teachers in Davangere city had good knowledge of first aid, the knowledge on management of dental trauma remained inadequate.