Status of knowledge on emergency dental trauma management among medical students: A systematic review

Dental injuries frequently occur in children and adolescents. It is common for multiple types of injuries to affect the teeth and the surrounding tissues. Medical doctors often provide initial treatment; therefore, it is crucial for them to have the knowledge and skills necessary to provide first aid for traumatic dental injuries (TDIs).The present study aimed to analyze, synthesize, and evaluate the quality of the existing research on medical students' knowledge, skills and attitudes regarding the provision of first aid for dental injuries.The electronic medical databases Web of Science, PubMed, Wiley Online Library, Dentistry & Oral Sciences Source, and Scopus were searched. To identify additional publications, the reference lists of relevant articles were manually reviewed. The analysis included publications in English and Polish, including original research studies, such as randomized trials, cohort studies and cross-sectional surveys, while excluding case reports, reviews, commentaries, letters, and conference abstracts. The credibility of the studies was assessed using the Cochrane Collaboration's risk-of-bias tool. Due to substantial methodological and statistical heterogeneity, a meta-analysis was not possible; instead, a narrative synthesis was conducted to summarize the findings.The search identified 55 studies, of which 10 were included in the systematic review, involving a total of 2,424 medical students. All studies focused on tooth avulsion; 3 also addressed tooth fractures, and 1 discussed tooth luxation.The systematic review indicates that medical students often lack the knowledge and skills required to manage dental trauma in emergency situations, highlighting the need to include dental traumatology courses in medical education. Early training in the management of dental injuries should be implemented and integrated into first-aid training to improve preparedness for such situations.