Knowledge and attitude of school teachers regarding traumatic dental injuries in Patiala District, Punjab

Background: Traumatic dental injuries frequently occur at school environment. However, teachers are not prepared to provide the adequate emergency management. Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the level of knowledge and attitudes of elementary school teachers about dental trauma and its management in Patiala district, Punjab. Methods: The questionnaire was sent to teachers in randomly selected primary schools in Patiala, Punjab. A total of 112 teachers responded (response rate 93%). The questionnaire surveyed teachers’ background, knowledge and management of tooth fracture, avulsion, and also investigated teachers’ attitudes and self-assessed knowledge. Results:The majority of the participants in the study were females 94.6%.32.1% had witnessed dental emergency in school premises.All the teachers (100%) agreed that dental trauma emergency management must become one of the educational priorities for the teachers. Mostteachers were unsatisfied with their level of knowledge for dental trauma and the majority were interested in having further education on the topic. Conclusions: The findings revealed that the level of knowledge of management of dental trauma (especially tooth avulsion) among school teachers in patiala is inadequate, and education campaigns are necessary to improve their emergency management of dental injuries.