Parental self-perceived knowledge and attitudes toward emergency management of avulsed permanent teeth in Imphal: A cross-sectional study

INTRODUCTION: Dental avulsion is one of the dental traumatic injuries commonly affecting children aged between 6 and 12 years. One of the major limitations in obtaining a successful outcome while treating dental avulsions is the lack of knowledge on its first aid management among parents. The present study aims to assess the knowledge and attitude of parents in Imphal toward the emergency management of avulsed permanent tooth using a self-reported questionnaire method. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The present cross-sectional study was undertaken among 777 parents of 6–12-year-old children who were recruited through 2 private schools in Imphal. A questionnaire consisting of 14 closed-ended questions used to assess the parental knowledge and attitude on emergency management of avulsed permanent teeth was distributed to the respondents after obtaining official consent from the respective schools and informed consent from the respondents. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Chi-square test was used to assess the association between the results and the educational status, gender, and geographical location of the respondents. RESULTS: The study revealed that only a fraction of the respondents, i.e., 11.8% gave a positive response on attempting “self-replantation” and higher fractions (76.1%) of the respondents reported to have received no previous information on the emergency management of dental avulsion. CONCLUSION: About 96.1% of the respondents showed interest on acquiring knowledge on the emergency management of dental avulsion. This warrants the urgent need on educating the parents on the first aid emergency management of avulsed tooth.