Investigation of the knowledge level of allied health professionals in a faculty of dentistry about dental avulsion

Abstract

Aims: Dental avulsion, complete dislocation of the tooth from its socket, is an injury that requires emergency intervention. The aim of this study was to evaluate the level of knowledge about dental avulsion among dental school allied health professionals who may encounter dental avulsion trauma in the first moment. Methods: A 14-question “Avulsion Questionnaire” designed by the researcher was administered to 54 allied health professionals at Dicle University Faculty of Dentistry by face-to-face interview technique. In this study, frequency (n) and percentage (%) values were given as descriptive statistics. Chi-square analysis was used to analyze the relationships between groups of nominal variables. Results: Of the participants, 48.1% were oral and dental health technicians, 22.2% were nurses, 11.1% were X-ray technicians, and 18.5% were medical secretaries. Those who thought that avulsion injuries constituted an emergency were significantly more likely (p<0.05). Forty-eight percent of the healthcare providers were informed about the injuries, and they obtained this information from dentists. Medical secretaries had never been informed about dental trauma (p<0.05). The level of knowledge about the placement of an avulsed tooth at the scene was low (p>0.05). However, all healthcare providers were aware that in cases of permanent tooth avulsion, a health institution, especially dental hospitals, should be consulted immediately. X-ray technicians and medical secretaries preferred a dry environment as the ideal storage environment, while nurses and dental assistants preferred milk. Conclusion: In this study, we found that the basic knowledge of dental avulsion was not sufficient for all allied health personnel, especially in a dental school, who may encounter parents in the first instance or be consulted by their relatives. Regular training programs for dental trauma management will increase the knowledge of dental assistants in managing avulsion injuries.

Keywords

• allied health personnel
• dental avulsion
• questionnaire

Ethical Statement

The necessary ethics committee decision was obtained for the study (protocol no: 2023-10).

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