Knowledge of dentists in the management of traumatic dental injuries in Ankara, Turkey

• Published in: Oral health & preventive dentistry Vol. 11; no. 1; p. 23
• Main Authors: Cınar, Cağdaş, Atabek, Didem, Alaçam, Alev
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Germany 2013
• Subjects: Adult; Chi-Square Distribution; Child; Dental Care for Children - psychology; Dental Pulp Exposure - therapy; Dentists - psychology; Emergency Medical Services; Emergency Treatment; Female; General Practice, Dental; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Surveys and Questionnaires; Tissue Preservation - methods; Tooth Injuries - therapy; Turkey; Young Adult; Turkey
• ISSN: 1602-1622
• DOI: 10.3290/j.ohpd.a29372

This study was designed to assess dentists' knowledge of emergency treatment of traumatic dental injuries (TDIs) in Ankara, Turkey.
A total of 154 questionnaires were evaluated. The first part of the questionnaire consisted of questions regarding personal information. The second part was composed of 12 closed-ended questions related to knowledge of how to manage different types of TDIs in children. The questionnaires were answered by 133 general dental practitioners (GDPs) and 21 specialists. The survey data were statistically analysed using the chi-square test and ttest to assess dentists' knowledge.
The results show that when the answers were compared, lower numbers of correct answers were noted for questions related to splinting time for avulsed teeth and appropriate treatment for complicated crown-fractured deciduous incisors with large pulp exposure. Greater numbers of correct answers were observed for questions related to the storage medium, systemic antibiotic usage for avulsed teeth and appropriate treatment for intruded primary teeth. The mean number of correct answers from specialists was not significantly greater than that from GDPs (P > 0.05).
In conclusion, this survey showed a low level of knowledge of TDI management among the participants and highlights the need to improve dentists' knowledge of TDI treatment protocols.