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Original Article
Knowledge, attitude, and perception of mothers towards emergency management of dental trauma in Salem district, Tamil Nadu: A questionnaire study Kruthika Murali, Ramesh Krishnan, Suresh Kumar V., Shankar Shanmugam1, Prakash Rajasundharam2 Department of Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry, Vinayaka Mission Sankarachariyar Dental College, Ariyanoor, Salem, 1 Departments of Public Health Dentistry, J. K. K. Nattraja Dental College and Hospital, Komarapalayam, 2Public Health Dentistry, K. S. Rangasamy Institute of Dental Science and Research, Tiruchengode, Tamil Nadu, India
ABSTRACT Background: Dental trauma is one of the main oral health problems in childhood, and can cause pain and distress. It is important to provide emergency care to combat the aftermaths of trauma. Aim: The aim of the study is to assess the knowledge and attitude of mothers regarding dental trauma and its management. Materials and Methods: A questionnaire consisting of 33 closed-ended questions were used to interview 150 mothers who participated in the study. The questions assessed the knowledge and attitude of mothers towards their child’s dental visit, dental trauma, and its management. Statistical analysis was performed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 17.0. Results: Mother’s previous experience of dental trauma when associated with the preservation of avulsed tooth of the child, those mothers who had the experience of dental trauma reported that they would discard the tooth which was found to be statistically significant (P < 0.05) when compared to the mothers with no experience of trauma. The education status of the study population when associated with the knowledge variables of avulsion, it was found that most of the variables had statistically significant association with P < 0.05. Conclusion: This study reveals that there is a lack of awareness among the mothers regarding the emergency management of dental trauma. This warrants the need of an effective communication between dental professionals and mothers for better handling of dental emergencies.
KEYWORDS: Attitude, dental trauma, management,
knowledge
Introduction Dental trauma during childhood leads to present and future oral health problems, which can cause pain and distress. Children encounter with many accidents
Address for correspondence: Dr. Kruthika Murali, Department of Pedodontics and Preventive dentistry, Vinayaka Mission Sankarachariyar Dental College, Ariyanoor, Salem - 636 308, Tamil Nadu, India. E-mail:
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Website: www.jisppd.com DOI: 10.4103/0970-4388.135825 PMID: ******
in their routine activities, such as running, skating, and cycle riding. Thus, it is important to provide immediate first class emergency care to reduce the possible outcomes.[1,2] The prognosis of some of the dental injuries is highly dependent on correct and prompt emergency management and proper advice. This may frequently be the responsibility of the lay people available at the accident site, which proved lacking in many reports.[3-5] Tooth loss in children commonly occur due to dental trauma, which may be caused by violence, accidents, falls, and sport-related activities.[6] Epidemiological studies indicate that dental trauma is a significant problem in young people, and that in the near future, the incidence of trauma will exceed that of dental caries and periodontal disease in young population.[7] According to Andreasen and Andreasen, oral injuries are the fourth most common bodily injuries among the 7-30 year age group.[8,9] Traumatic injuries can thus have a significant effect on a child’s quality of life.[10]
Journal of Indian Society of Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry | Jul-Sep 2014 | Vol 32| Issue 3 |
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Kruthika, et al.: Knowledge, attitude and perception of dental trauma among mothers
High percentage of children with dental trauma present late for treatment, possibly because of lack of awareness and knowledge among related adults, resulting in unfavorable long-term prognosis. Mother plays a significant role in a child’s life, as they are the primary source of information to impart their knowledge. Forty-one percent of dental injuries occur at home,[5] so mothers play an important role for appropriate decision making.[11] Despite the importance of this problem, there is no study available in the literature in the state of Tamil Nadu to assess the knowledge among mothers towards the emergency management of dental trauma. Hence, the aim of the present study was to assess the knowledge and attitude of mothers in the emergency management of dental trauma.
Materials and Methods
(53.3%) were from rural area [Table 1]. Amongst the respondent mothers, 65 (43.3%) were graduates, 57 (38%) had their schooling till higher secondary, and 27 (18%) were illiterate [Table 2]. When the education status of the study population was associated with the knowledge variables related to avulsion, it was found that the degree holders showed preference in visiting a dentist (49.2%) immediately (48.8%), with the saved tooth (58.2%) wrapped in paper (58.2%) when compared to that of other groups, which was found to be statistically significant (P < 0.05). When previous maternal experience to dental trauma was associated with the place for seeking treatment for avulsion, it was found that the mother who had dental trauma significantly (P < 0.05) preferred to visit the hospital or physician’s office when compared to those who had no previous experience of dental trauma [Table 3].
A questionnaire was designed and one-to-one interview was done among 150 mothers of children attending the Outpatient Department (OPD) of Department of Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry of VMS Dental College from December 2012 to February 2013.
When previous maternal experience to dental trauma was associated with the preservation of the avulsed tooth (i.e., if they find the avulsed tooth outside the mouth), it was found that the mothers who had no previous experience of dental trauma responded that
The questionnaire contained 33 closed-ended questions for the assessment of mothers’ knowledge and attitude towards their child’s dental visit, dental trauma, and its emergency management. The questionnaire was prepared in both English and vernacular language (Tamil). The questionnaire was checked for the content validity by two professors in the Department of Pediatric Dentistry and it was also checked for construct validity using test-retest method following which Cronbach’s alpha was calculated.
Table 1: Frequency distribution of mother’s age and place of residence
The institutional ethical committee clearance was obtained prior to the study and those mothers who were willing to participate in the study only were interviewed. Statistical analysis was performed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 17.0. Frequency distribution which includes number and percentage were calculated for the demographic variables like mother’s age, place of residence, and educational status of mother. Chi-square analysis was used to test the influence of previous experience of dental trauma on the knowledge, attitude, and perception of the participants. The level of significance was set at P < 0.05.
Age of mother 21-30 31-40 41-50 51-60 Place of residence Urban Semiurban Rural
5 (3.3) 65 (43.3) 80 (53.3)
Table 2: Frequency distribution of mother’s educational status Education Illiterate Primary education Middle school High and higher secondary Degree Professional degree
N (%) 27 (18) 24 (16) 20 (13.3) 13 (8.7) 65 (43.3) 1 (0.7)
Table 3: Association between maternal experience to dental trauma and place for seeking treatment
Results
Previous maternal experience to dental trauma
The number of participants in this survey included 150 mothers, of which five (3.3%) were from urban area, 65 (43.3%) were from semiurban area, and 80
Yes No P-value
203
N (%) 77 (51.3) 53 (35.3) 15 (10) 5 (3.3)
Place for seeking treatment for avulsion Hospital or physician’s office N (%) 3 (33.3) 14 (10.1)
