ATTITUDE AND KNOWLEDGE TOWARDS TOOTH AVULSION AMONG SPORTS TEACHERS

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