Pediatricians' Knowledge and Attitudes on Emergency Management of Traumatic Tooth Avulsion

Abstract

Introduction: This multicenter cross-sectional study aimed to assess the level of knowledge and attitude of pediatricians in the management of traumatic tooth avulsion (TTA) in children. Methods: In this study, pediatricians were invited to complete a self-administered questionnaire on the web. The survey consisted of 19 questions adapted from instruments used in previously existing questionnaires on the topic. The questions were divided into three parts: g personal and professional profiles, the attitudes of pediatricians towards TTA, and actual knowledge of the emergency management of TTA. Data from 256 respondents were analyzed using SPSS 22. Results: Approximately 87.9% of the participants reported at least one case of traumatic tooth avulsion during their careers. Only 6.64% of the subjects received education on dental injuries. The vast majority of participants (89.1%) stressed the im- portance of dental trauma education. In cases of tooth avulsion, only 5.5% of the pediatricians reported that they would reimplant it. The mean knowledge score was 4.88±0.55. Regarding the knowledge of the difference between reimplanting permanent teeth and primary teeth, only 23.1% of pediatricians responded correctly. Working in public hospitals and having ten years or more professional experience had a significant effect on knowledge score (for both p