Assessment of schoolteachers' knowledge about management of traumatic dental injuries in Al-Madinah city, Saudi Arabia

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess the knowledge of primary and intermediate schoolteachers about the management of TDIs in Al-Madinah city, Saudi Arabia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A previously validated, self-administered, anonymous, close-ended structured questionnaire was administered to schoolteachers in 13 different schools. It included two parts: basic demographic information (part one) and questions regarding the management of dental traumatic injuries (part two). RESULTS: A total of 178 schoolteachers voluntarily completely filled in the questionnaire. Nearly 28.1% of the teachers acquired a first-aid training program and 6.2% only learned about dental injury management in first-aid training. Concerning the knowledge about the management of dental traumatic injuries, 55.1% of teachers realized the appropriate time for treatment of dental traumatic injuries. A few percentage of teachers selected correct answers for the suitable storage medium. The most commonly selected storage media were found to be cold milk, physiological saline, and patient's saliva at 14.6%, 6.7%, and 2.2%, respectively. CONCLUSION: The knowledge among primary and intermediate schoolteachers in the management of dental traumatic injuries is unsatisfactory.