An Educational Initiative for Dubai School Nurses and Physical Education Teachers on the Management of Traumatic Dental Injuries

Abstract

The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge of school nurses and physical education teachers (SN and PE teachers) about the emergency management of traumatic dental injuries (TDIs) in schools and to measure the impact of education on their knowledge. A longitudinal prospective study based on a questionnaire survey completed by 68 SN and PE teachers at three time periods (prior to, immediately after, and 3 months-post-educational intervention). Pre- and post t-test and repeated measures (analysis of variance) were used to compare the three group means for the same participants ( p < .05 was considered significant). Significant improvement in the knowledge score among participants was observed between the initial survey to immediately after the educational session and to 3 months after ( p = .047). Significant improvement in the choice of immediately seeking attention after tooth avulsion was observed ( p = .001). The initial knowledge deficiency about the emergency management of TDIs among SN and PE teachers was improved and sustained.