Abstract
Introduction. The aim of this multicenter cross-sectional study was to assess the preparedness of senior dental students towards dental avulsion and its management in the Riyadh region of Saudi Arabia. Materials and methods. The study was conducted among 359 senior dental students from different dental schools in Riyadh. The participants filled in a 13-item self-administered questionnaire. The data obtained was statistically analyzed using chi-square and logistic regression tests. The significance was set at p < 0.05. Results and discussion. The mean knowledge score of the participants was 3.896 +/- 1.790. Most of the students knew about immediate emergency management with avulsed permanent (62.4%) and primary teeth (89.4%). However, only 40.1% of them responded correctly to the question regarding tooth management before replantation, 48.5% correctly responded to the ideal extraoral time, and 23.7% correctly responded to splinting and endodontic considerations. More than half of the participants indicated the recommended storage media and most severe complications (68.5% and 59.9%, respectively). A higher percentage correctly responded to the systemic medications used in tooth avulsion (80%). No significant difference was observed in the mean knowledge scores with regard to gender and year level (p > 0.05); however, a significant difference was found between dental schools (p < 0.05). Conclusions. As senior dental students in the Riyadh region of Saudi Arabia showed a lack of knowledge in several aspects regarding dental avulsion and its management, there is a need to increase their instruction to manage dental emergencies.