Knowledge of Emergency Physicians about the Management of Traumatic Dental Injuries: A Cross-sectional Study in Northern Iran

BACKGROUND: Dental trauma is a common dental public health problem among the children and adults. As the emergency departments are usually the first contact point for patients after a trauma, this study aimed to evaluate the level of knowledge of emergency medicine specialists or residents and general practitioners (GPs) working in the emergency departments about the management of traumatic dental injuries. METHODS: In this descriptive cross-sectional study, all emergency medicine specialists or residents and GPs working in the emergency department of hospitals affiliated to Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences were evaluated. Data were collected using a questionnaire comprising questions on demographic information and physicians' knowledge of how to deal and manage different dental injuries. The information was analyzed using t-test and chi-square statistical test. RESULTS: The level of knowledge was good in 71.5% of emergency medicine specialists and average in 75% of the residents and 93.4% of GPs. None of the participants had low level of knowledge about management of traumatic dental injuries. There was a statistically significant association between physicians' knowledge and their job position (P<0.001). Moreover, there were no statistically significant differences between gender and the history of participating in dental trauma courses with the level of physicians' knowledge (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: The results of present study highlights the need for training programs to raise the knowledge of emergency medicine residents and GPs about how to effectively manage the traumatic dental injuries in patients presenting to the emergency department.