Thesis & Dissertations

Background/Aim: School teachers are most likely to be involved at the site of the injuries, making their knowledge of emergency management fundamental to the provision of an appropriate care to children and adolescents. Consequently, the effectiveness of educational message on the knowledge and practice of school teachers regarding dental trauma was assessed. Materials and Methods: In a Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial design, schools of Beirut were divided into three categories (public, semi private and private) . 200 teachers of each group were selected randomly and divided into "Test and Control group". An educational message, using power point presentation, brochures and posters, was implemented to teachers in test group. Immediate and long term assessment were performed to evaluate the effect of the educational program. Results: Immediately after the implementation of the educational message, there was a significant improvement in the knowledge and practice of teachers of the test group, persisting approximately the same six months later. Conclusion: Emergency treatment of Dental Traumatic Injuries at the site of the accident is important since an initial mismanagement will be reflected in the subsequent treatment, which can be complicated and lengthy; thus affecting the prognosis of the case and the patient's wellbeing. The use of more than one modality in dental health educational programs gave better immediate and long term positive results, significantly improving the knowledge of school teachers who are the first individuals to face dental trauma in schools. Key words: Dental trauma, tooth injuries, school teachers, knowledge, educational tools.