Knowledge and Sociodemographic Determinants of Emergency Management of Dental Avulsion among Parents in Kuwait: A Cross-Sectional Study

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the knowledge of first aid measures for a permanent tooth avulsion among parents in Kuwait and to assess the effect of different sociodemographic characteristics. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 554 parents who visited 5 dental specialty centers in Kuwait. Parent sociodemographic data and responses to avulsion management questions were collected through a self-administered questionnaire. Descriptive and binary logistic regression analyses were used for data analysis. Results: In the 554 responses from patients, gaps were identified in the following areas: replantation (199, 35.9%), cleaning of the tooth (182, 32.9%), and transport media (84, 15.2%). Most parents demonstrated satisfactory knowledge levels regarding the urgency to seek professional help (391, 70.6%) and the first place of contact after the injury (525, 94.8%). Having prevision information on emergency management of dental avulsion was a significant predictor of good knowledge (OR 2.138, 95% CI 1.347-3.395, p = 0.001). Of the 544 parents, 99 (17.8%) had received information on dental avulsion management: 30 (30.3%) from the Internet, 19 (19.2%) from books, 12 (12.1%) from television, 6 (6%) from smart phone applications, 2 (2%) from newspapers, and 30 (30.3%) from other sources. Conclusion: In this study, parents in Kuwait did not have adequate knowledge of emergency management for dental avulsion. Future educational campaigns on dental avulsion are urgently needed to educate parents. (C) 2017 The Author(s) Published by S. Karger AG, Basel