Dental avulsion: experience, attitudes, and perception of dental practitioners of Caruaru, Pernambuco, Brazil

Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate the level of knowledge of Brazilian dental practitioners on dental avulsion and replantation.

Methods: A 14-item structured interview was used to collect data from 148 dentists, members of a dental association in the city of Caruaru, Pernambuco, in the Northeast region of Brazil. Data were analyzed by descriptive and inferential statistics (Fisher's exact test and Pearson's chi-square test) at the 0.5 level of significance.

Results: In this sample, 49.3% of the dentists had up to 10 years of professional experience, 46.1% worked in public and private institutions, and 50.7% reported graduate education. For avulsed deciduous teeth, 40.3% of the dentists would not perform dental replantation, but most practitioners (92.3%) would do it for permanent teeth, and the professional experience was not a significant factor. Semi-rigid wiring was the most frequent type of dental splinting indicated by dentists with short- and long-term professional experience (74.7% and 64.1%, respectively).

Conclusion: In this sample, most dentists were aware of the basic procedures to be followed in case of dental avulsion of deciduous and permanent teeth independently from their professional experience.