Evaluation of dentists' knowledge, attitudes and treatment approaches in traumatic dental injuries

SUMMARY Evaluation of Dentists' Knowledge, Attitudes and Treatment Approaches in Traumatic Dental Injuries Background/Aim: This study was conducted aiming to evaluate knowledge level of dentists in Turkey regarding traumatic dental injuries (TDI) in different clinical scenarios. Awareness about current treatment protocols and approaches in TDI was evaluated and differences between variables were compared, possible causes were questioned, and recommendations were presented. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 327 dentists working in Turkey. The questionnaire consisted of 21 questions in total, aiming to collect data on dentists' sociodemographic characteristics, their knowledge and treatment approaches in TDI. The study was carried out in virtual environment and answers to knowledge questions were analyzed and evaluated according to the descriptive characteristics of the participants. Chi-square test was used in group comparisons (cross tables) of nominal variables. Mann-Whitney U tests (for two categories variables) and Kruskal-Wallis tests (for more than two categories' variables) were performed. Kruskal Wallis Multiple Comparison test was used to determine the groups that had significant differences. A "Dental Trauma Knowledge Score" in the range of 0 to 8 points was made to assess participants' knowledge level. In the evaluations, the IBM SPSS version 20 (Chicago, IL, USA) program was used and p<0.05 was accepted as the statistical significance limit. Results: Among the participants, 58.4% were found to have an acceptable/average level of knowledge, 21.4% were found to be insufficient and 20.2% of them achieved high knowledge score level. After evaluation of our data, some groups were found to have significantly higher knowledge score levels, those groups are female dentists, 24-35 years of age, those working at universities, those with history of specialty training, dentists with less than 6 years of professional experience, those that are aware of ToothSOS application, and those that had postgraduate training about TDI. Most of the participants (72.8%) have applied splint to traumatized teeth, preferences about splint materials were as follows; 64.2% orthodontic wire, 62.7% composite resin, 29.7% fiber and 22.9% fishing line. In radiological evaluation of traumatic dental injuries 92% of the participants preferred periapical radiography method, while only 25.7% of them are using occlusal radiography in routine. Conclusion: An acceptable level of knowledge on TDI management was revealed among dentists in Turkey. The questions with the with highest score level were "concussion, avulsion and lateral luxation" related, while questions about "root fracture, intrusion, and complicated crown fracture" scored lowest. According to the results obtained, dentists especially those that have graduated long time ago should be encouraged more to get postgraduate trainings on regular basis to keep their knowledge up to date and highlight importance of continuous education in the field. Increasing awareness about informative applications like ToothSOS is of great importance for improving and keeping up with the latest updates. Keywords: Traumatic dental injuries, permanent dentition, knowledge level, Turkey