Traumatic dental injury in primary teeth: Knowledge and management in Brazilian preschool teachers

Knowledge about the importance of primary teeth and correct attitudes in dental trauma emergency procedures can lead to adequate care, improving the prognosis and avoiding serious consequences for the child primary and permanent dentition. The aim this study was to evaluate the knowledge and behavior in a group of Brazilian preschool teachers, relative to dental trauma in primary teeth. In this cross-sectional study, preschool teachers from 32 public kindergartens answered a questionnaire to characterize their knowledge and behaviors about trauma to primary teeth and the relationship to educational level, work experience, experience with dental trauma and first aid training (Fisher exact test, p<0.05). Of the 213 teachers, 93.9% had no knowledge about dental trauma. Only 23% of the professionals had received any first aid training and 16.3% of these had touched on the topic of dental trauma. No relationship was observed between professional experience and first aid training and the behavior of preschool teachers faced with dental trauma. In terms of educational level there was relationship only with respect to the time to seek treatment (p=0.02). Comparisons between dental trauma experience and the behavior of the preschool teachers was significant to procedures for a primary tooth fracture (p=0.02). The knowledge of this group of preschool teachers is not adequate and this lack of preparation prevents the correct procedures from being followed when an accident occurs, thus leaving the management of such accidents to be guided by beliefs. Key words: Teachers, questionnaire survey, traumatic dental occlusion, deciduous teeth, cross-sectional study.