Knowledge on the management of avulsed teeth among dental practitioners in Nairobi City County, Kenya

Abstract

Objective: To determine dental practitioners’ knowledge on the management of avulsed teeth.

Design and Setting: Descriptive, cross-sectional study in Nairobi City County, Kenya.

Participants: Dental practitioners practicing in Nairobi City County, Kenya.

Methodology: A self-administered questionnaire based on International Association of Dental Traumatology (IADT) guidelines on the management of avulsed teeth was used to assess participants’ knowledge levels. Collected data was analyzed using International Business Machine Statistical Package for Social Scientists (IBM SPSS Statistics 25.0) and MS Excel (Excel 2016 version 16.0). Inferential statistics in the form of Chi-square Test, whose p-value was set at <0.05, was used to show interactions of the measured variables.

Results: One hundred and thirty-one dental practitioners participated in the study. Majority of whom were males 70 (53.4%). The highest level of education for the majority, 92 (70.2%), was a bachelor’s degree in Dental Surgery. The mean scored marks for correct answers from the questionnaires was 13.7 ± 3.0 out of 23 marks. There was a statistically significant association between gender p=0.01, type of  practice p< 0.001, length of practice p=0.013, level of education p< 0.001 and the knowledge scores attained.

Conclusion: The knowledge level of management of avulsed teeth among dentists in Nairobi City County is low. There was a lack of sufficient knowledge in intrare-implantation, post re-implantation instructions and the likely sequelae of reimplanting an avulsed tooth