Evaluating the levels of knowledge and attitudes of emergency medical technicians and paramedics toward traumatic dental injuries

Objectives: The first aid implemented just after the traumatic dental injury (TDI) is of vital importance. This study aims to evaluate the attitudes of emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and paramedics toward TDI and their levels of knowledge about the issue. Subjects and Methods: A questionnaire, which comprised 14 questions, was applied to 389 EMTs and paramedics all across Turkey. The questionnaires were sent to the participants through e-mails, and the results were obtained by an online system. Results: 336 out of 389 EMTs and paramedics (86.4%) mentioned that they did not have any training about the TDI issue. On the other hand, among the ones who mentioned that they received this training, 50.9% suggested that the training was not sufficient. It was observed that 63.5% of the participants encountered cases of injuries in oral and dental regions, and in 83% of these cases the only treatment applied was bleeding intervention. About 75.6% of them think that an avulsed tooth cannot be reimplanted. Conclusion: In conclusion, it was determined that the EMTs and paramedics did not have sufficient and accurate information about the TDI. Lack of knowledge about TDI prevents rapid and accurate intervention to the cases.