Journal of Dental Medicine

Background and Aims: Trauma to the permanent and deciduous incisors is an undesirable common event in childhood. Proper immediate management of injured teeth is depended on the knowledge of unprofessional people, including teachers, who are usually present at the scene prior to dental treatment. The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge and self-reported practice of primary school teachers on the emergency management of traumatic dental injuries (TDIs) in Arak.

Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 624 primary school teachers were enrolled in census in Arak. An anonymous questionnaire containing demographic data, the history of previous exposure to traumatic dental injuries, teachers’ knowledge regarding emergency management of TDIs and their practice towards TDIs was used. Questionnaires were distributed among all participants and then were collected on the same day. Descriptive statistics and linear regression were performed to analyze the data.

Results: A total of 292 completed questionnaires (response rate 46.8%) were collected. The mean score of knowledge was 2.65±1.69 out of 10. The mean score of self-reported practice was 3.46±2.04 out of 8. Regarding the demographic variables, knowledge had a significant relationship with the education (P<0.001). No significant relationships were observed between the self-reported practice and demographic variables. The correlation coefficients between the knowledge scores and the practice scores of teachers was 0.2.

Conclusion: This study revealed that insufficient knowledge exists among primary school teachers on emergency management of TDIs. Furthermore, a high percentage of respondents enjoy a significant deficiency regarding favorable practice encountering TDIs.