Objective: To assess knowledge of primary school teachers regarding emergency management of dental trauma, in Khartoum State. Materials and Methods: Across sectional study conducted on a sample size of 384 primary school teachers. A questionnaire designed by Cecilia Young, KY Wong & LK Cheung -with slight modifications. The questionnaire included questions about; whether the respondents had received formal first-aid training or acquired dental trauma information and whether they thought that they could distinguish deciduous teeth from permanent teeth and questions about management of dental traumatic injuries. Results: Out of the 384 teachers, 200 of them were females and the rest were males. Gender was of no significance (p>0.05). The teaching years experience had no significance in male teachers’ knowledge of trauma management (p>0.05). Whereas significance was found in female teachers’ (p<0.05). The majority of teachers have neither received first aid training 62%, nor dental trauma emergency management training 67.4%. However, they were aware that the place for treatment is the dentist 39%, that dental trauma should be treated immediately 33%, that a fractured tooth should be placed in a liquid medium 42%, and that a displaced tooth should be returned to its original position 43%, and that baby teeth should not be returned 66%. Conclusion: Most of the teachers have neither received first aid training nor dental trauma emergency management training. Yet they have a reasonable knowledge that they have received from reading or hearing about dental trauma management. Training must be compulsory by schools and educational campaigns should be established by the concerned authorities.
Keywords: Teacher; Dental Trauma; Teaching Experience; First Aids.
Original Article
P. 113-121
