The Degree of Knowledge and Attitude of Medical Residents and Interns in Egypt Regarding Emergency Treatment of Traumatic Dental Injuries

II. Introduction:

Scientific background:

Statement of the problem Violence, sports, auto accidents and falls are the most frequent causes of traumatic dental injuries (TDIs), which are regarded as the most serious oral health issue affecting children. It has been reported that physicians are the first who assist patients with TDIs. In hospitals, patients typically anticipate receiving care from emergency department doctors. Thus, before referring patients to a dentist for follow-up care, physicians are typically obliged to handle the emergency therapy phase and stabilize acute TDIs.

Global studies found that pediatricians and even emergency room doctors lacked the knowledge to manage TDIs. This might be explained that emergency room doctors might not believe that dental emergencies are one of the responsibilities of the emergency room staff. Thus proposed changing the medical curricula to include more knowledge and expertise for the management of TDIs.

The knowledge and attitude of medical residents and interns who will treat TDIs should be evaluated. However, multiple studies have found that medical students had little awareness of TDIs, with the majority of them (between 70 and 90 percent) claiming that their undergraduate curricula did not include any formal instruction in TDIs. Additionally, the majority of students felt that understanding TDIs was not essential for their future employment.