Knowledge of Medical Hospital Emergency Physicians about the First-Aid Management of Traumatic Tooth Avulsion

Abstract

Objective. The aim of this study was to evaluate the knowledge of emergency medical physicians employed in hospital emergency rooms as to their potential role in the treatment for traumatic teeth avulsion injuries (TTAI). Methods. A 15-item questionnaire was distributed to the emergency rooms of one university and 10 public hospitals. The questionnaire gathered data on the respondents' professional profiles and self-assessed perceived knowledge and actual knowledge of the emergency management of TTAIs. Results. The study was implemented with 69 emergency physicians present at their workplaces during the time of data collection. Of these, 55 (79.7%) were employed at public hospitals and 14 (20.3%) at a university hospital. The professional profiles indicated that 47 (68.1%) of the participants were general practitioners and the remaining 22 (31.9%) were distributed among various other medical specialties. Overall, 28 respondents (40.6%) assessed their knowledge regarding medical treatment for TTAI as insufficient, and the majority (78.3%) stated that they would like further education. Importantly, a large majority of practitioners could not provide correct answers to questions related to the emergency management of TTAI. Conclusion. There is a need to improve the knowledge of emergency medical physicians regarding the emergency treatment for TTAI. © 2011 The Authors. International Journal of Paediatric Dentistry © 2011 BSPD, IAPD and Blackwell Publishing Ltd.