Assessment of the impact of a lecture on dental students’ knowledge of dental trauma
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35699/2178-1990.2025.60274Keywords:
health knowledge, attitudes, practice, dental students, tooth injuriesAbstract
Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the impact of an in-person lecture on dental trauma (DT) on the knowledge and attitudes of dental students.
Methods: A structured questionnaire was administered at three time points: before the lecture (T0), one week after (T1), and 12 months later (T2). The lecture covered concepts and management of DT based on the International Association of Dental Traumatology (IADT) guidelines. Descriptive analysis, Cochran’s Q test, and Friedman’s ANOVA were performed (p≤0.05).
Results: Thirty 8th-period students participated in the study. At T0, students had an average of 6.43 correct answers out of 12, which increased to 7.57 at T1 (p=0.020). However, no significant difference was observed between T0 and T2 or between T1 and T2. A significant increase in correct answers was found between T0 and T1, as well as between T0 and T2, for two of the 12 specific questions on DT. No participant reported having “very good” knowledge of the subject at T0, whereas at T1, 10% did (p=0.009). A significant difference was found in knowledge of the IADT guidelines (p=0.001) and the “Tooth SOS” app (p<0.001) before and after the intervention. The majority of participants reported a continued need for more information on DT management at T0, T1, and T2.
Conclusion: The lecture had a positive short-term impact on participants’ knowledge of DT. However, no long-term retention of this knowledge was observed.
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