A cross‐sectional evaluation of knowledge among Chinese dentists regarding the treatment of traumatic injuries in primary teeth

Abstract

Background/Aim Injuries to the primary dentition affect children's esthetics, function, and mental health. They may also affect the development of the permanent teeth. The knowledge of dentists about deciduous tooth trauma is rarely evaluated. The aim of this study was to evaluate the knowledge and attitude of dentists in China regarding traumatic dental injuries to primary teeth. Material and Methods A self‐administered online questionnaire containing questions on demographic data and knowledge based on a clinical scenario was given to a purposive sample of dentists, recruited by a non‐probability convenience sampling method. The chi‐square test was used for statistical analysis, with the significance level set at P <.05. Results A total of 394 out of 409 dentists provided valid data. There was no significant difference in demographic data. Questions about the treatment of hard dental tissue injuries in primary teeth presented a correct‐response rate of 66.4%, with the highest correct‐response rate for enamel fracture (n = 368, 93.4%) and lowest for complicated crown‐root fracture with pulp exposure (n = 104, 26.4%). Questions about treatment of luxation injuries in primary teeth presented a correct‐response rate of 66.6%, with subluxation presenting the highest correct‐response rate (n = 391, 99.2%). Factors associated with higher correct‐response rates were specialist disciplines, educational qualifications, workplaces, experience of injured teeth treated, and educational experience about primary tooth trauma. No significant differences were found in the correct‐response rates of dentists with different years of work experience. Lack of cooperation from children was considered a major obstacle for treatment. Special lectures and Internet courses were the most preferred methods of obtaining knowledge. Conclusion The results suggest that it is necessary to enhance dental trauma education for dentists in China. More attention needs to be paid to trauma in primary dentition to ensure adequate treatment for traumatized primary teeth.

Educational Dental Program and Its Impact on Emergency Management of Traumatic Dental Injuries in Children

“…Close to half of participants said that they occasionally (47.6%) or rarely (20.4%) meet TDI in their daily work. That accommodate with the results of other investigations that said that traumatic injuries happen infrequently and at occasions when general practitioners are not ready for emergency management procedure (19)(20)(21)(22)(23) .…”

“…Getting a professional emergency managementat the site of accident is mandatory, that would decrease the time between avulsion and replantation,and Consequently decrease the risk of having internal and external root resorption (35,36) . 51% of GDPs chose the answer to splint avulsed teeth for 7 to 10 days , which was higher in comparison with other studies were only 10-30% had chosen this answer (15,22) . 136 (66.0%) of GDPs chose the answer that they would never do replantation for primary tooth, result was improved by the educational program to 182 (88.3%) which is consistent with (176) Nada A.…”

“…9, No. 1 the current guidelines and recommendations of the IADT (22) . Moderate level of awareness was seen by investigating GDPs.…”

International teaching practices in dental trauma education

“…The deficit in clinical experience, limited number of contact hours, lack of a unified approach could contribute to the poor levels of knowledge on dental trauma reported by general dentists in recent studies. [11][12][13][14][15][16][17] The need for a core curriculum in DT was affirmed by the majority of institutions. The need for a separate trauma course was also a popular suggestion.…”

“…Several recent studies including systematic reviews highlight the insufficient levels of knowledge possessed by dentists regarding the management of TDI around the world. [11][12][13][14][15][16][17] These reports suggested that additional clinical knowledge and skills would be required to improve confidence in managing TDI, especially when the injuries were more complex. It has been proposed that the insufficient level of knowledge and skills might be explained by a poor foundation in DT within Undergraduate (UG) dental programmes.…”