Knowledge, Preparedness, and Information-Seeking Behavior for Traumatic Dental Injury Management Among Undergraduate...

Traumatic dental injury management requires both appropriate knowledge and the ability to seek reliable information when uncertainty arises. This study examined the relationships among objectively measured knowledge, self-rated knowledge, perceived preparedness, and information-seeking behavior in undergraduate dental students.

This anonymous repeated cross-sectional study analyzed 252 questionnaire responses from the same undergraduate cohort surveyed at two consecutive stages of the curriculum: 137 in the fourth year and 115 in the fifth year. The present analysis included objective knowledge, self-rated knowledge, perceived preparedness, perceived source reliability, first-choice information sources, and perceived barriers. Associations among readiness dimensions were examined using Spearman correlations and multivariable regression. Case-scenario selection of evidence-based resources and generative artificial intelligence was evaluated using Firth-penalized logistic regression.

Perceived preparedness was more strongly associated with self-rated knowledge (ρ = 0.45) than with objectively measured knowledge (ρ = 0.23). Objective knowledge remained independently associated with preparedness (B = 0.083, 95% CI: 0.014-0.151), although its contribution was modest relative to self-rated knowledge. No statistically significant differences in objective knowledge or preparedness were observed between survey waves after correction for multiple testing. In the case scenario, evidence-based source selection was more frequent among fifth-year-wave respondents than among fourth-year-wave respondents (87.0% vs. 69.3%), whereas generative AI selection was less frequent (7.0% vs. 26.3%). Information-source selection was associated primarily with trust in the respective resources rather than with objectively measured knowledge.

Objective knowledge, perceived preparedness, and information-seeking behavior represent related but distinct domains relevant to traumatic dental injury management. Undergraduate trauma education should combine knowledge assessment with confidence calibration and guideline-based information-seeking training.