Knowledge about emergency procedure in case of dental trauma among paediatricians in Croatia

The aim of this study was to investigate paediatricians' actual attitudes towards emergency management of dental injuries, need for potential improvement in their knowledge and motivation for further education.

This study was a questionnaire-based cross-sectional survey on a sample of 84 respondents from four Croatian counties. A questionnaire of 24 questions was divided into four parts: personal and professional profile; self-assessed perceived knowledge and experience with dental injuries; specific questions on the management of dental injuries and specific questions regarding education about dental injuries. The questionnaires were collected during a 2-month period.

A larger percentage (95%) of surveyed paediatricians have at least once encountered trauma in the practice and in this case 90% of them contacted the dentist. Three quarters of participants (76%) would correctly hold completely extruded tooth. In case of tooth or fragment preservation 60% of the subjects would place the tooth in the saline solution, and only 12% of the respondents would use milk as a transport medium. The 19% of the paediatricians considered that the permanent tooth should not be replanted. Two tirds (62%) of participants did not get any information regarding dental trauma during their past education, but most of them (90%) consider that education about traumatic dental injuries is important, and 86% of the respondents are willing to be educated on the subject in the future. There is no difference in procedures (recommended vs. non-recommended) undertaken during management of detal injuries, according to the participants working place, experience in emergency department or their personal experience of dental trauma.

The results revealed insufficient paediatricians' knowledge about emergency procedures in case of dental trauma, but they also point out high awareness of the importance of dental trauma, and willingness for further education.