Aim - To assess the knowledge, attitude and practices of high school teachers regarding preliminary care of traumatic dental injuries and tooth avulsion. Materials and method - A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted among 160 high school teachers of Ambala district of Haryana state, India.
Result - 43.1% of the teachers were females and 56.9% were males. Only 2 % of teachers had received information regarding first aid treatment of traumatic dental injuries (TDIs). In case any child would suffer a TDI, only 9.4% teachers preferred referring the child to a dentist. Gauze piece, plastic bag, antiseptic solution were preferred media for transportation of avulsed teeth. 36.9% (59) teachers believed that an avulsed tooth could be saved. Among these, 38.9% believed an active intervention should be taken up within 20 minutes of tooth avulsion. Only 13.8 % of the teachers were aware about the term ‘mouth guard’ although majority of them did not know the purpose of its use. 92 % teachers were willing for getting trained in emergency management of TDIs.
Conclusion- Teachers had inadequate knowledge regarding preliminary care of TDIs. A very small number of teachers had come across any TDI in schools. Most of the teachers had a positive attitude towards getting trained in the preliminary care of TDIs.
