Parental knowledge and attitudes regarding the emergency treatment of avulsed permanent teeth

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to examine parental knowledge and attitudes about avulsed permanent teeth and their emergency treatment in children. METHODS A total of 289 parents of children aged 6-12 years receiving care at the Ondokuz Mayis University Pediatric Dentistry Clinic were included in the study. Questionnaires were used to collect data on parents' demographic characteristics, previous training in traumatic dental injury and treatment and knowledge of avulsed permanent teeth and their emergency management. Chi-square tests were used to identify differences in responses for different variables. RESULTS More than half of the participating parents were female (69.6%) and between the age of 30-39 years (64.4%). Most (90.7%) reported that they would not replant the avulsed tooth in its socket, and most (68.2%) gave correct answers regarding the optimum time for which an avulsed tooth should be left out of the mouth prior to replantation. However, most parents were not sufficiently informed about the appropriate method for cleaning a dirty avulsed tooth or transporting it to a dentist or doctor. None of the demographic characteristics or training status was found to have a statistically significant effect on the number of correct responses regarding appropriate management of avulsion injuries (P>.05) CONCLUSION This study revealed that the parental level of knowledge about the emergency treatment of avulsion in children is inadequate and that educational campaigns are necessary to improve proper emergency management of dental avulsion.