Assessing the Levels of Knowledge About Common Causes and Treatments of Traumatic Dental Injuries Among General Dentists in the City of Bandar Abbas in 2018

Abstract

Background and Aim: Traumatic dental injuries (TDIs) are among the urgent challenges in dental sciences. These types of trauma are a common dental health problem, which may affect hard tissues and tooth-supporting structures. Since dentists’ knowledge and practice are vital for TDI treatments, this study aimed to assess the levels of knowledge of TDIs among general dentists working in Bandar Abbas, Iran. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 97 general dentists working in the city of Bandar Abbas, Iran, using a three-part questionnaire comprising items about demographic characteristics, knowledge of TDI causes, and knowledge of TDI treatments. Descriptive and analytical statistical analyses of data were performed according to Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests using SPSS 20 software at the significance level of 0.05. Results: Ninety-seven general dentists, including 61 men and 36 women, participated in this study. The findings revealed that 60.9% and 46.4% of these dentists had high levels of knowledge about TDI causes and treatments, respectively. The mean score obtained by the general dentists was 11.86±2.87, which was promising. A significant relationship was observed between university affiliation and levels of knowledge (P=0.002). Conclusion: According to the results, knowledge about common causes and treatments of TDI was at a favorable level among the general dentists working in Bandar Abbas. There was a significant relationship between university affiliation and levels of knowledge; dentists who graduated from universities located in the city of Tehran, Iran, had higher levels of knowledge than others did.

Keywords

• knowledge
• trauma
• children
• dentoalveolar