Emergency management of avulsed permanent incisors: knowledge and attitudes of teachers in 15 Irish schools.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Appropriate immediate management of an avulsed permanent incisor is critical because a delay in replantation significantly reduces the long-term prognosis of the tooth.

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

This study was designed to examine the knowledge and attitudes of teachers with regard to the emergency management of avulsed permanent incisors.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A total of 198 teachers in 15 schools in Balbriggan, Co. Dublin, or within a 15km radius of the town, were invited to take part in the study. Data were collected by use of a self-administered questionnaire, which had been employed in a previously published study.

RESULTS

A total of 139 teachers returned the questionnaire, a response rate of 70.2%. While almost all (96.4%) of these teachers stated that they supervised children during sports or lunch break, the majority neither possessed a recognised first aid qualification (80.6%) nor had received advice on the management of an avulsed permanent incisor (74.8%). Perhaps unsurprisingly, the majority of respondents (81.3%) stated that they would not be prepared to replant a tooth avulsed by a child in their care. Reassuringly, however, 45.3% of respondents chose milk as an appropriate transport medium for the tooth. A total of 131 respondents (94.2%) expressed a desire for further information and advice.

CONCLUSIONS

The majority of teachers possessed inadequate knowledge of emergency treatment of tooth avulsion. It is the authors' view that teachers and other individuals who supervise children in schools would benefit from instruction in dental first aid.