Conocimiento del manejo de la avulsión dental entre dentistas en Cuenca, Ecuador

Dental avulsion is a serious traumatic injury characterized by the complete expulsion of the tooth out of its alveolar socket. The response of dental personal to dental avulsion is very important and protocols on traumatic injury management should be known. The objective of this study was to determine the degree of knowledge of the management of dental avulsion of a representative group of dentists in the city of Cuenca, Ecuador. 183 dentists participated in the cross-sectional survey. Results highlighted that 42% of the surveyed dentists said that they had received some, but minor, information on dental trauma management, and 74.8% of those surveyed are not familiar with the recommended IADT protocols on traumatic injury management. The majority of participating dentists have a poor understanding of dental avulsion management, in contrast to the dental specialists in the surveyed population; the latter are clearly better able to manage this injury. Therefore, it is recommended that dental trauma should be included in the academic program in university schools of dentistry in Ecuador.