Assessment of Elementary School Teachers’ Level of Knowledge and Attitude regarding Traumatic Dental Injuries in the United Arab Emirates
Table 3
Teachers responses to two scenarios on traumatic dental injuries.
Scenario
(%)
Case 1
During school hours, a 9-year-old child is hit in the face with softball. Her upper front tooth is broken. Otherwise, she is healthy, unhurt, and conscious The broken tooth is likely to be
(i) Temporary
73 (25)
(ii) Permanent
166 (58)
(iii) Do not know
49 (17)
Your immediate emergency management of the case is
(i) Calm down the child and send her back to class
6 (17)
(ii) Contact parents and advise them to send child to the dentist immediately
165 (57)
(iii) Look for broken tooth piece and send child to the dentists with it
96 (33)
(iv) Do not know what to do
10 (4)
Case 2
A 13-year-old boy is hit in the face and his upper front tooth is missing and there is blood in his mouth. Otherwise, he is unhurt, healthy, and he did not lose consciousness
The immediate emergency action you would take is
(i) Stop the bleeding by compressing a cloth over the injury
174 (61)
(ii) Look for the tooth, wash it, and put it back in its place
17 (6)
(iii) Save the tooth in child’s mouth and look for professional help
53 (18)
(iv) Place the tooth in a paper and send the child to dentist after the school time
26 (9)
(v) Do not know what to do
14 (5)
What type of health services would you seek first?
(i) General physician
34 (11)
(ii) Pediatric physician
13 (5)
(iii) Hospital
27 (10)
(iv) Dental School University
11 (4)
(v) General dentists
97 (33)
(vi) Pediatric dentist
96 (33)
(vii) Endodontist
7 (2)
Would you investigate if the child had tetanus?
(i) Yes
163 (59)
(ii) No
113 (41)
If the tooth has fallen on the dirty ground what would you do?
(i) Rinse the tooth under tap water and put it back into its socket
90 (32)
(ii) Rub away the dirt by a sponge and soap and put it back
17 (6)
(iii) Put it back into the socket immediately without cleaning
5 (2)
(iv) Discard the tooth
81 (29)
(v) Do not know what to do
87 (31)
How would you transport the tooth on the way to the dentist if you cannot put the tooth back into its socket?
(i) Put the tooth in ice
58 (20)
(ii) Put the tooth in liquid
76 (27)
(iii) Place the tooth in the child’s mouth
19 (7)
(iv) Place the tooth in the child’s hand
2 (1)
(v) Wrap the tooth in a handkerchief or paper tissue
130 (46)
Mark desirable liquids for storing a tooth that has been knocked out while you are on your way to the dentist
(i) Tap water
100 (37)
(ii) Fresh milk
23 (9)
(iii) Child’s saliva
29 (11)
(iv) Alcohol
9 (3)
(v) Saline solution
65 (24)
(vi) Disinfecting solution
44 (16)
(vii) Chicken egg white
0 (0)
Which is the best time for putting back a tooth in if it is knocked out of the mouth?
