KNOWLEDGE OF EGYPTIAN GENERAL DENTISTS, ENDODONTISTS, AND PEDIATRIC DENTISTS REGARDING MANAGEMENT OF TRAUMATIC DENTAL INJURIES IN CHILDREN: A CROSS SECTIONAL STUDY

INTRODUCTION : Traumatic dental injuries (TDIs) are common in childhood. Treatment options for TDIs are based on the extent and nature of the injury. General dentists play an important role in the treatment of TDIs. OBJECTIVE: this study aimed to assess the knowledge of general dental practitioners (GDPs) compared to pediatric dentists (PDs), and endodontists (EDs) regarding emergency management of TDIs and application of International Association of Dental Traumatology (IADT) guidelines in a sample of dentists in Alexandria, Egypt. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Participants completed a two-part questionnaire (ten questions covering demographic, professional, and personal data and 14 questions about given trauma cases scenarios) in electronic format to assess their knowledge regarding TDIs. One score was dedicated to each correct answer: score of 0-4= poor knowledge, scores 5-8, 9-11 and 12-14= moderate, good and excellent, respectively. Data was collected and transferred to a secured spread sheet. Frequencies and percentage were calculated for qualitative variables. Comparisons between the three categories were done using Chi-square test. Ordinal logistic regression was conducted to assess the association between dental specialties with knowledge score. Odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated. Significance was set at p value < 0.05. RESULTS: PDs and EDs had a higher knowledge score than GDPs (P= 0.01, B=11.19, 95%CI: 1.74, 71.77) and (P= 0.000, B= 36.18, 95%CI: 5.29, 247.28), respectively. Dentists who assessed their knowledge as comprehensive or sufficient had a higher knowledge score than those who assessed their knowledge as fragmentary (P= 0.000, B=24.58, 95%CI: 8.71, 69.30) and (P= 0.000, B= 7.93, 95%CI: 3.60, 17.48) respectively. CONCLUSIONS : The knowledge level of GDPs on TDIs was significantly lower than that of PDs and EDs, while no significant difference was encountered between PDs and EDs.