ATTITUDE AND KNOWLEDGE TOWARDS TOOTH AVULSION AMONG SPORTS TEACHERS

Background: Tooth avulsion is one of the commonest types of physical sport injury. The
management of these cases is critical in order to prevent complete loss of tooth and its subsequent
consequences. The prognosis of such avulsed tooth depends on prompt treatment. The emergency
management of such avulsed tooth is made by the sports teacher who is present at the sports ground. The
first–aid knowledge about tooth avulsion is must for the sports teacher. Aim: The objective of the present
study was to evaluate the knowledge about management of tooth avulsion among sports teachers in
Ahmednagar District. Methods: A sample of 60 sports teachers were interviewed from different schools.
The data was collected using a self administered questionnaire containing seven items which was
distributed among the sports teacher from different schools. Results: we found that 90% of the sports
teachers were not having the first-aid knowledge about the emergency management of avulsed tooth and
the benefit of timely care. This demands an effort to properly educate sports teachers about first-aid
management and consequently change their attitude towards dental trauma.