Malaysian dental students' knowledge of managing dental trauma in children

Objective: This study sought to assess dental students' training and experiences in addressing traumatic dental injury (TDI), and, more specifically, their knowledge of TDI management in children.

Methods: All Year 1 to Year 5 dental students (n = 413; response rate = 72.9%) were invited to participate in an online, self-administered survey, which was based on a validated questionnaire. Quantitative data were analysed via chi-squared test (p < .05) using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences software program.

Results: Only a few students were found to have undergone first-aid training in TDI (19.3%) and to have encountered TDI incidents (10.6%) before. Almost all preclinical and clinical students agreed that TDI constitutes an emergency (97.8% vs. 99.4%, respectively) and that tooth avulsion requires immediate care (97.1% vs. 99.0%, respectively). However, almost half of the students (48.8%) did not know the management protocols for a fractured tooth. Compared with clinical students, a significantly lower percentage of those in preclinical study knew the following: (1) the main cause of TDI, (2) the teeth that most commonly experience avulsion, (3) the management protocols for an avulsed tooth (e.g., handling, transportation and urgency of professional intervention) and (4) the management protocols for a fractured tooth (e.g., appropriate storage medium and need for immediate treatment). Amongst the clinical students, a significantly lower percentage of those in Year 3 knew how to transport and store avulsed and fractured teeth, and which teeth are most likely to experience avulsion.

Conclusion: This study identified areas of TDI education in need of further refinement. Revision of the dental curriculum in terms of design, content, teaching method and delivery time may thus be warranted.