Knowledge about first aid for dental avulsion among nurses

Abstract

An avulsion of a tooth is one of the most severe forms of dental injuries. Prompt and appropriate first aid for dental avulsion improves the prognosis of the tooth. Although nurses provide first aid for various trauma patients, evidence of providing first aid for dental avulsion is lacking. There is limited literature regarding nurses‘ knowledge of first aid for dental avulsion. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the knowledge of first aid for avulsed teeth among nurses using a narrative review approach. Abstracts, full texts, books, and documents that have been written in English language on nurses‘ knowledge on first aid for dental avulsion were searched. The keywords used for the search were knowledge, first-aid, dental avulsion, and nurse. Articles published from 2011 to 2021 were searched through Google Scholar, PubMed, and Science Direct databases. A total of 14 articles were selected and reviewed utilizing the thematic analysis method. From 50% (n=7) of selected articles, it was found that the knowledge among nurses on first aid management of dental avulsion was poor. Areas of inadequate knowledge on first aid management were identified under three themes: the ability of reimplantation, transport media, and cleaning media. There was no formal training for nurses to update knowledge on first aid for the avulsed tooth. They identified self-learning as a strategy to get the related knowledge. More than half (64%) of the articles indicated the willingness of nurses to participate in a formal training program on first aid for a dental avulsion. Initial management of the avulsed tooth, including first aid, is lacking in nursing education. Therefore, well-structured training on first aid management of dental avulsion needs to be arranged to improve the oral health-related quality of life.