Awareness and Sense of Urgency in Dental Avulsion Management: Knowledge Gaps Among Dutch Teens and Students

According to Dutch dental trauma guidelines (DTG), optimal outcomes for avulsed permanent teeth are achieved when replantation or professional treatment occurs within 30 to 60 min following trauma. However, studies suggest that patients in the Netherlands often seek care well beyond the critical window for effective intervention, reducing the chances of successful reimplantation. This delay may be partly due to limited public awareness of appropriate first-aid measures for dental avulsion.

This study assesses awareness and perceived urgency in managing dental avulsion among Dutch students, focusing on knowledge gaps and their variation across different educational levels. Participants included secondary school students and individuals in higher education with both medical and non-medical backgrounds.

A 16-item questionnaire, incorporating a case-based scenario, was designed to evaluate general awareness and urgency perception. The questionnaire was distributed in educational settings between December 2024 and February 2025 and completed by students.

A total of 348 responses were included. Only 49% of participants correctly identified the recommended treatment timeframe of 30 min or less. Those with a dental background scored highest overall (p < 0.001), while secondary school students scored lowest. Medical students showed significantly greater general knowledge of avulsion management ("awareness") than secondary school students (p < 0.05); however, they did not differ considerably in recognizing the urgency of treatment or in taking correct immediate actions ("sense of urgency"). Notably, only 17% of participants answered all six key management questions correctly according to national guidelines, highlighting substantial knowledge gaps, even among higher-education groups.

The findings of this study indicate significant knowledge deficits regarding the emergency management of dental avulsion across all educational levels. These results highlight the urgent need for targeted educational strategies to enhance first-aid awareness, particularly among adolescents and medical students, with an emphasis on timely and appropriate response.