Knowledge, awareness and attitude towards emergency management of dental trauma among the parents of Kolkata-an institutional study

Abstract

Introduction: Traumatic dental injuries are one of the commonly encountered dental emergencies. Missing anterior tooth in children due to any injury can be a source of considerable physical and psychological discomfort for the child. The prognosis of some dental injuries depends to a great extent on parents’ knowledge of correct and prompt emergency measures. Aim: The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to assess the knowledge, attitude and awareness level of parents regarding the emergency management of dental trauma and to find out the relation of the responses to social variables. Materials and Methods: A total of 2000 parents were surveyed over a period of three months using a pretested close ended questionnaire prepared in English, Hindi as well as in the regional language which was divided into three parts: Part 1 contained questions on personal information, Part 2 on an imaginary case of trauma to assess their knowledge regarding trauma management and Part 3 related to their attitude towards dental trauma management education. The data was statistically analysed using descriptive and chi-square statistics. Results: The overall knowledge of parents regarding emergency management of trauma was not satisfactory. Although most of the people were in favour of taking professional consultation for emergency management of trauma but most of them were unaware of the steps that need to be taken on their part so as to minimize complications and improve prognosis. Conclusion: Educational campaigns are the need of the day to increase the knowledge of parents regarding emergency management of dental trauma.