Dento–alveolar and maxillofacial injures – a survey of knowledge of the regimental aid providers in the Israeli army

Abstract –  The present study evaluated the knowledge of physicians and emergency medical technicians (EMT) regarding primary treatment for oral and maxillofacial trauma and assessed the experience they have in treating oral and maxillofacial injuries. The study population consisted of 80 military physicians and EMT during their military service. A questionnaire was distributed relating to demographic data such as age, gender, position, and type of military service, as well as past experience in treating or witnessing oral and maxillofacial trauma, former education regarding diagnosis and treatment of oral and maxillofacial trauma, assessment of knowledge regarding oral and maxillofacial trauma, etc. The questionnaire was answered by 76 participants (95% response rate): 32 physicians and 44 EMT. Only 17 (22.4%) received education regarding oral and maxillofacial trauma (eight physicians, 25% and nine EMT, 20.5%). Nevertheless, 23 (30.3%) reported witnessing such an injury during their military service. Oral and maxillofacial injuries were first seen by the EMT in 43.4% of the cases, a physician in 23.7%, and a dentist in only 9.2%. Overall, 66 (86.8%) of the physicians and EMT stated that it was important to educate the primary health care providers regarding diagnosis and treatment of oral and maxillofacial trauma. Special emphasis should be given to providing primary caregivers with the relevant education to improve their knowledge and ability of dealing with diagnosis and treatment of oral and maxillofacial trauma.     

Learning about dental trauma for medical students

The literature identifies that medical students receive little or no formal dental trauma assessment and management teaching during medical school. The result of this is that many medical doctors are unaware of the urgency of emergency dental trauma care for patients. To bridge this important gap in medical education, medical educators should look to introduce basic dental trauma teaching into undergraduates’ final year of medical school. This initiative would benefit medical doctors in either general medical practice or specialties that assess and manage trauma. This opinion article aims to present the authors’ reasons for strongly supporting dental trauma teaching being included and suggests an e‐learning approach for its integration into the medical education curriculum.     

Online dental trauma course for medical education

A literature review identified a knowledge deficit among medical doctors about dental trauma management. To overcome this knowledge gap, a proposal to integrate dental traumatology teaching into the medical curriculum was made to raise medical students' awareness of, and familiarity with managing dental injuries. Despite the challenges of teaching dental trauma, online courses are viewed as a practical learning approach for students to access course material during their busy university schedules. In focusing on the constructivist model, this article details the design and development of the online dental trauma course. It is an example of a learner-led, fully online course. The six steps involved in the course development were as follows: (1) structured order from preclinical to clinical topics; (2) content covering all essential information on TDI diagnosis and management; (3) illustrative materials to support engagement and motivation to complete the course; (4) feedback processes to evaluate the learning process; (5) interactions between peers, educators, and learning materials to help facilitate learning; and (6) content that encompasses mainly visual learning styles. The online dental trauma course has the potential to make important contributions to medical education.     

Physical education undergraduates and dental trauma knowledge

Abstract –  The aim of the present study was to assess the level of knowledge of undergraduates from the College of Physical Education (Toledo, Araçatuba) concerning dental avulsion injuries. Data showed that 95% of the respondents did not know what dental avulsion is, 73.5% said they know how to define dental replantation, however, only 26% were able to do it correctly. When asked about first emergency measures after an avulsion, 50% of the respondents said they know what they should do, and the most cited measure was to seek a dentist. When asked about optimal storage media, 45.5% would keep it in a favorable one, and 28% did not know where to keep the tooth until treatment. Only 25.6% indicated a suitable extra-oral time for replantation; 90.3% of the respondents had received no advice about the emergency management of dental avulsion; 90% said they consider this an important and necessary subject. The results indicated that educational campaigns are necessary to improve the emergency management of dental injuries by those future P.E. professors for a better prognosis of dental replantation.     

Lay knowledge of physical education teachers about the emergency management of dental trauma in Hong Kong

Abstract – The purpose of this study was to investigate the knowledge of a group of physical education (PE) teachers about the emergency management of dental trauma in Hong Kong. A postal questionnaire was sent to PE teachers in 100 randomly selected secondary schools in Hong Kong. A total of 166 teachers from 65 schools responded. Results show that a majority of the respondents have received formal teaching training (98.8%). While all but one teacher had received formal first aid training, only eight of them recalled that they had received advice on the management of dental trauma. Concerning the management of tooth fracture, 118 respondents (71.1%) gave an appropriate answer. In contrast, only 29 teachers (17.5%) were able to indicate the appropriate management for an avulsed tooth. Over 60% (102) of the respondents indicated it was "very urgent" to seek professional assistance if a permanent tooth has been avulsed, but they had little knowledge of the correct procedures for replanting or transporting avulsed teeth. Only 15 respondents (9%) pointed out that milk was the medium of choice for transporting avulsed teeth. Finally, over 90% (157) of respondents indicated that they had never received advice on the emergency procedures for the management of dental avulsion. The present study showed that the level of lay knowledge of management of dental injuries in a selection of PE teachers in Hong Kong is inadequate and educational campaigns are necessary to improve their emergency management of dental injuries.     

Dento-alveolar and maxillofacial injuries – a retrospective study from a level 1 trauma center in Israel

Abstract –  To evaluate the frequency and causes of dental and maxillofacial trauma in hospitalized patients. From January 1, 2000 to December 31, 2003, data from hospitalized trauma patients in a level 1 trauma center in Israel were analyzed according to age, gender, time, place, and cause of injury. Maxillofacial and tooth injuries were separated and further analyzed according to the above parameters. The analysis was based on data from the Israel Trauma Registry (ITR). Of all 14 040 trauma patients, 1038 (7.4%) involved maxillofacial or dental injuries. Common causes of injury were motor vehicle crashes (41%), falls (27%) and intentional injuries (23%). Fifty percent occurred on the street/road, 17% at home and 14% in public buildings. Surgery was required in 55.5% of all maxillofacial injuries. Males were hospitalized three times more than females, and young people, ages 19–28, were at greatest risk (30.2%). Oral and maxillofacial trauma is common, requiring dental health training for primary caregivers.     

Perceptions of emergency department physicians regarding the management of traumatic dental injuries

Background/Aim

The purpose of this study was to investigate the self-reported confidence level and education of Atlantic Canada emergency department physicians in the management of traumatic dental injuries and to assess the need for further education surrounding the management of dental trauma.

Material and Methods

An 18-item survey was developed and distributed electronically to physicians by their respective provincial medical associations.

Results

Traumatic dental injuries were reported in the emergency department on a weekly basis (78%). Most respondents reported that they were somewhat confident (51%) or very confident (7%) in managing traumatic dental injuries. Physicians' years in practice correlated positively with self-reported confidence levels in managing dental trauma. Urban and rural emergency department physicians reported similar levels of access to general dentists (38% and 30%, respectively); however, urban emergency department physicians reported greater access to pediatric dental specialists (43%) and oral and maxillofacial surgeons (81%) than rural practicing colleagues (4% and 30%, respectively). Most emergency department physicians (85%) agreed that it was important to receive training on the management of traumatic dental injuries and reported that education on managing traumatic dental injuries during residency (37%) and access to a dental trauma decision-making pathway (30%) would be of most value.

Conclusions

This study highlights the role of emergency department physicians as first responders and demonstrates opportunities for improvement in the initial management of traumatic dental injuries. These implications can be achieved through the incorporation of further training in emergency medicine residency programs and through the implementation of decision-making pathways in emergency departments.     

Lay and professional knowledge of methods for emergency management of avulsed teeth

Abstract Proper treatment during the first 30 minutes offers the best prognosis for traumatically avulsed teeth. This study sought to determine both lay people's and dental professionals’ knowledge of and attitude to emergency procedures. A 12-question survey was administered to 5 groups: (a) parents of learner swimmers and (b) coaches of college sports teams (lay); (c) State Dental Nurses, (d) dentists and (e) dental nurse/receptionists (professional). Respondents totalled 184 (a 32, b 86, c 24, d 18, e 24) i.e. 118 lay and 66 professional. Data revealed that group b had the greatest personal experience of avulsed teeth and groups c and e the least. Public hospital accident and emergency services (A & E) were perceived by all groups as most available. 18% of lay groups could not cite an emergency service. Lay people thought first of A & E for management whereas professional groups preferred the victim's own dentist. Most professional people would replant avulsed permanent teeth and about 1/3 would replant deciduous teeth: 1/2 lay people would replant permanent teeth and 1/8 deciduous teeth. Where treatment was not straightforward lay people would seek advice before acting. Half of the lay groups would transport an avulsed tooth dry. All the professionals had had advice on management of avulsed teeth but only 1/4 of the lay groups. This study highlighted the need for educational campaigns aimed at members of the lay public likely to be involved in the emergency management of traumatically avulsed teeth.     

Incidence of dental trauma in the Western Australian School Dental Service

A prospective study was undertaken to determine the annual incidence of trauma to the anterior permanent teeth of children enrolled in the Western Australian School Dental Service. The population comprised 66,500 6-12-yr-old children. 1.66 children and 2.05 teeth per 100 children received trauma. Of the children incurring trauma the incidence per 100 erupted teeth was 11.7. 80.5% of children traumatised one tooth only per incident, but 35% of all teeth that were traumatised involved trauma to two or more teeth. 88% of all traumatised teeth were central incisors. Girls received proportionately more trauma to the maxillary dental arch than did boys. Fracture involving both the enamel and the dentine was the most commonly recorded class of trauma (42.7% of cases). There was no obvious pattern to the overall distribution of trauma through the week or the year. Approximately one-third of all traumata occurred at school, one-third at home, and the remainder elsewhere. Trauma to the maxillary dental arch occurred most frequently at home, while trauma to more than one tooth (multiple trauma) occurred most commonly at school. Trauma incidence resulting from falling or being pushed was almost twice as high among girls as among boys. Bicycle accidents caused a higher than average rate of multiple trauma and of pulpal exposure.     

Increasing prevalence of emergency department visits for pediatric dental care, 1997-2001

BACKGROUND: Hospital emergency department (ED) visits for non-urgent care have been increasing since the late 1950s. This study investigated the prevalence and characteristics of pediatric ED visits for dental problems during a five-year period. METHODS: This retrospective study included newborns through 17-year-olds with dental complaints identified from the electronic register of the ED of Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, between January 1997 and December 2001. The authors described patient characteristics, diagnoses, factors associated with ED use for nontraumatic problems and annual changes in ED visits for dental and nondental complaints. RESULTS: Of the 1,102 subjects, 809 (73.4 percent) had nontraumatic and 293 (26.6 percent) had traumatic dental complaints. The study revealed a 121 percent increase in ED visits for dental complaints and a 66-fold increase in admissions between 1997 and 2001. Of the inpatient admissions, 68 percent were the result of caries and its sequelae. CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed a substantial increase in ED visits and hospital admissions for dental problems during the study period. The majority of dental problems were nontraumatic in nature. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Dental care experts should be available in ED settings in which increases in such visits are seen. Studies must be conducted to explore ways of keeping patients from seeking care in EDs inappropriately.     

Medical doctors’ knowledge of dental trauma management: A review

Education in dental trauma is extremely important to promote knowledge on the assessment and management of a traumatized tooth. Medical doctors are normally only required to manage the emergency phase of traumatic dental injury (TDI) treatment before referring to a dentist, endodontist or oral and maxillofacial surgeon for continuing care. Medical doctors who possess sufficient theoretical knowledge and are competent enough clinically to handle TDI can provide a higher standard of treatment care and ultimately achieve a better patient outcome. The aim of this literature review was to assess the extent of medical doctors’ knowledge of dental trauma management for injuries in the following four areas: (a) tooth structure; (b) to the supporting bone; (c) to the periodontal tissues; and (d) to the soft tissues. Based on the findings from this literature review, an overall deficiency in knowledge and confidence in managing dental trauma has been identified. Knowledge and understanding to categorize TDI using the same classification of dental injuries commonly used amongst dentists would allow medical doctors to better manage and communicate with dental colleagues concerning referral for further care. If the medical education curriculum provided medical doctors with more information and skills for the management of dental trauma and an understanding of the importance of early management, then more favourable outcomes may prevail for dental trauma patients.     

Brazilian dentists' knowledge regarding immediate treatment of traumatic dental injuries

Abstract –  The objective of this study was to assess the knowledge of dentists working in the city of Tubarão, southern Brazil, about the immediate treatment of traumatic dental injuries. A cross-sectional study was carried out involving all dentists who were working in the city in 2004 ( n  = 108). Data were collected through self-applied questionnaires with questions about sex, time elapsed since graduation, whether the dentists had attended postgraduate courses and also four questions about traumatic dental injuries in which the dentists selected the best answer. The response rate was 86.1%. For the two questions related to dental avulsion, 36.6% and 16.1% of professionals respectively, chose the correct answer according to the literature. For the question related to coronal fracture, 75.3% chose the correct answer. For the questions related to an incident without dental avulsion or fracture, 73.1% chose the correct answer. Time elapsed since graduation was the only variable statistically associated with the correct answer for the question related to coronal fracture. A significantly greater number of professionals with ≤10 years of experience chose the correct answer when compared with professionals with >10 years experience ( P  < 0.001). It can be concluded that the great majority of professionals would not intervene according to the literature in the cases of avulsion. Less time elapsed since graduation was statistically associated with the correct answer in the coronal fracture case.     

Oral trauma and dental emergency management recommendations of first-aid textbooks and manuals

Abstract –  The recommendations of oral trauma and dental emergencies management of nine first-aid textbooks and manuals from the last two decades were evaluated. Only one book includes all the relevant topics: dental anatomy, management of tooth luxations and avulsion, tooth fracture, mandible dislocation, jaw fracture, intraoral bleeding and dental pain. Two books recommend self-replantation of an avulsed tooth, but four books detail the storage media and evaluate the importance of a quick referral to a dental surgery. In three first-aid books, the only mention of oral trauma is the hazard of choking from tooth fragments, and in one other book, only mandible dislocation is mentioned as oral trauma. The insufficient information of oral trauma management in these first-aid texts partly explains the previous reports of poor and inadequate knowledge in that topic among medics, teachers and the general public.     

Tooth loss and dental caries in Dutch adults

As part of a nationwide dental survey in 1986 a caries study was executed in 3526 adults, aged 15-74 yr, living in 40 residential areas in The Netherlands. Marked differences were found between the social classes distinguished (more edentates in the lower classes) and between the different regions. It is supposed that these differences reflect the lack of dental manpower in the past.     

Rare dental developmental disturbance in primary and permanent teeth following trauma prior to tooth eruption: Case report

Traumatic dental injuries are highly prevalent among preschool children. When occurring at a very young age (prior to the eruption of the primary teeth), such trauma can disturb the normal development of the permanent dentition and, more rarely, affect the primary dentition. This report describes a case of a patient who suffered dentoalveolar trauma at six months of age that caused rare developmental problems in the primary dentition, such as impaction, dilacerations, hypoplasia, and odontoma. Imaging revealed that alterations also occurred in the permanent dentition. This report demonstrates that dentoalveolar trauma prior to complete development of the dentition and even before the eruption of the primary teeth can lead to highly uncommon abnormalities in the primary dentition. Moreover, there may be repercussions in the permanent dentition when the germs of these teeth are injured by the intraosseous displacement of primary teeth.     

Dental trauma in children and adolescents in Valparaiso, Chile

Abstract This study analyzed traumatic injuries in the primary and permanent dentition in children treated from 1990 to 1992 at the Children's Dental Traumatology Service in Valparaiso, Chile. A total of 227 records from patients 2 to 21 years old was studied with regard to the cause of injury, location of injury, time elapsed before treatment, history of previous trauma, type of injury, number of injured teeth., and how patients seek treatment. A total of 73 patients had injuries to the primary dentition (PD) and 154 to the permanent dentition (PD) with a total of 357 injured teeth (115 primary, 242 permanent). Ten to 12-year-old children had the highest number of injuries (33%). Falling was the most common cause of injury in both groups (82% pD, 58% PD), followed by striking against objects (13% pD, 19% PD) and bicycle accidents (9% PD). Most injuries in children with primary dentition (68%) occurred at home, while children with permanent dentition had most accidents at school (38%). Most children (61%) sought treatment after 24 h (52% pD, 65% PD), 61 children had suffered previous trauma (36% pD, 23% PD). The most common injuries in primary teeth were luxation (26%), intrusion (21%) and subluxation (18%). Uncomplicated crown fracture (34%), followed by complicated crown fracture (21%), were the main injuries in permanent teeth. There was no difference in the number of teeth involved for either dentition. A single tooth injury was found in 54%. Two teeth were involved in 35%, and three or more teeth in 11%. Tooth developmental disturbances were seen in 10 children with 14 permanent teeth involved, due to traumatic injuries that were unattended in the primary dentition.     

Clinical experience improves academic outcomes in dental Oral surgery education

Introduction

This paper aimed to determine if the level of a dental student's clinical experience in oral surgery influences the student's oral surgery academic outcomes.

Materials and Methods

The oral surgery clinical activity and academic outcomes for all students who completed their dental training in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 from the University of Sydney were analysed for correlation.

Results

The clinical activity performed by 313 students was recorded. There was a weak, but statistically significant, Pearson correlation between total dental extractions and academic outcomes (r = .243, p = <.001). The total number of dental extractions performed was the only statistically significant variable on academic outcomes with linear regression analysis (β = .227, p = .005; model R² = .077). The increase of a student's clinical experience from less than 45 to more than 65 dental extractions raised their oral surgery academic results by an average of 6.4%. There were no academic benefits to earlier clinical experience.

Conclusion

An increase in experience with dental extractions resulted in an increase in oral surgery academic outcomes, plateauing at 65 dental extractions. There was no academic advantage to dental student's having earlier clinical experience.