Comparison of the knowledge and comfort zone of the manitoban general and pediatric dentists in treating dental trauma
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Date
2017
Authors
Amel Gharib, Shima
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Abstract
Injury to the teeth in pediatric patients may have serious and far-reaching consequences, including a significant emotional impact. The objective of this study was to compare and evaluate the knowledge of Manitoba general and pediatric dentists in treating dental trauma patients. A web-based survey was sent to all 19 Manitoba pediatric dentists, and a random 25% sample size of Manitoba general dentists (145 general dentists). Statistical analysis was performed using R program. The non-parametric Wilcoxon Mann-Whitney test was used to compare the two groups. For all of the analyses, the significance level of <0.05 was chosen to show strong evidence against the null hypothesis. The main finding was that the majority of pediatric dentists treated trauma patients with more severe injuries, such as luxation, avulsion and alveolar fracture, much more frequently than general dentists. Additionally, a large number of dentists did not feel very confident about their knowledge and skills in treating trauma patients (P< 0.05).
Overall, multiple statistically significant differences between the two groups were alarming, and changes in the teaching curriculum may help to improve treatment outcomes in children with dental trauma.
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Keywords
Dental trauma