Attitude of Pilsen primary school teachers in dental traumas

Dental injuries are rather common during sport activities and at schools where children spend most of their time every day. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the knowledge of primary school teachers in Pilsen, Czech Republic, of how to provide first aid in cases of one of the most serious dental injuries, the tooth avulsion. To this end, a questionnaire which contained nine questions about avulsion of permanent teeth was prepared. The questionnaires were distributed in nine primary schools in Pilsen where almost 300 teachers are employed. Seventy-four percent of the teachers replied. Sixty-eight percent had never received any information about providing first aid in cases of dental injuries and 81% would place the avulsed tooth in a dry handkerchief until the transfer of the patient to dentist. Prevention of tooth injuries is very important, as they may result even in tooth loss. This demands an effort to properly inform and educate sport trainers and primary school teachers about providing first aid in dental trauma situations; this effort should be intensive and continuous.