Knowledge and Attitude of Oral Health Professionals in the Management of Avulsed Teeth

Abstract

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to assess the knowledge and to compare the attitude and management of tooth avulsion between the general dentist and the specialist all with dental interns.  Materials and Methods:16-point questionnaires have been developed to a similar study and have been validated by a group of specialist.  The first part of the survey contained demographic data. The second part consisted of eight questions checking dentists’ knowledge on the treatment of avulsed teeth. All in which took part in Saudi Arabia, Riyadh and covered 311 dentists. Data were analyzed with SPSS program version 21Results: 583 questionnaires have been distributed and a total of 311 were collected. Which consisted 53.34% of distributed surveys. Almost two-third (219) of the surveyed populations have never treated any patient with dental avulsion. Amongst those who had such experience, the majority treated at least one case (35.9%), there were also 22 (23.9%) dentist who treated more than 5 avulsed teeth. 25 of 311 dentist have never received education or training in the management of tooth avulsion. Conclusion: there is a need to familiarize oral health professions with the needed knowledge and management of avulsion through lectures and proper training.

Keywords: Avulsion; knowledge; management; oral professional; dental