Evaluation of elementary education teachers’ knowledge on avulsion and tooth replantation

Dental trauma care emergency is very important issue, especially in cases of avulsion and it is crucial for the prognosis. A preventive-educational approach had not been effective and there are many failures in handling dental trauma, mainly by lack of knowledge by health professionals, teachers and lay people. Objective:The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge of 89 teachers about dental trauma. Material and methods: A questionnaire divided into three parts containing questions about the emergency procedures in cases of dental trauma was applied. Results: Only 13% of teachers would replant the tooth in the socket, and only 7% said they would put the tooth in some liquid and 58% would store in a piece of paper, cloth or clean container. In relation to replantation, 75% reported that they would hold the tooth by the crown, 79% reported that first they would refer to the dentist, and 80% thought that the treatment had to be immediate. With regard to tooth preparation, 46% would keep it in saline, 24% in water, and only 11% in milk. Concerning to the avulsed tooth, only 15% correctly answered that they would replant the avulsed tooth and then referred to the dentist. Conclusion: It was concluded that the knowledge of teachers must be improved by educational and preventive campaigns on management of traumatized teeth.