Saudi Elementary School Staff knowledge Regarding Management of Traumatic Dental Injuries

Objectives: To evaluate the knowledge level of Saudi elementary school staff in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia regarding management of TDIs.
Methods: A newly developed TDIs self-administered questionnaires were distributed to Saudi elementary schools staff (teachers,administrators, supervisors, social workers, nurses and coaches) in Riyadh city. Eighty-one randomly selected elementary schools were visited over a period of 6 months (January-June 2015).
Results: The population of this cross-sectional study consisted of 2,027 Saudi elementary school staff (response rate 74%); of these, 1,234 (61%) were female and 792(39%) were male. Two third of the participants were teachers and half of them were responsible of the first grade. Only 18% (n= 364) of the school staff had attended TDIs training course. Half of the respondents (49%, n=989) incorrectly answered the question on the appropriate response to TDIs involving a fractured permanent tooth. Nearly one-third (29%, n=588) answered the question on the appropriate response to a TDIs involving an avulsed permanent tooth and more than two-third of the participant (69%, n= 1,407) correctly answered the question on the appropriate response to a TDIs involving an avulsed primary tooth.
Conclusions: The result of this study demonstrated school staff's low level of knowledge about the management of TDIs in school children, suggesting that educational programs are needed to improve proper management of TDIs by school staff.