Relationship Between Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale, Child's Dental Status and Parental Psychological Profiles.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to assess the influence of a child's dental status and parental psychological profiles on parental perception of their child's oral health. MATERIALS: This study involved 164 parents of children under five years of age, who filled out the life quality assessment test regarding oral health (ECOHIS test), and Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS) questionnaire. The child's oral status was also examined and recorded. RESULTS: Results of the ECOHIS appeared to correlate positively with the number of active caries (R = 0.457; P <0.001). In addition, the ECOHIS showed a significant correlation with the DASS test results (R = 0.356; P <0.001 for depression, R = 0.247; P <0.001 for anxiety and R = 0.235; P <0.001 for the stress result). CONCLUSION: The dental health of a child affects his/her quality of life and the parental quality of life including their psychological status.

First Aid Management in Emergency Care of Dental Injuries ­ Knowledge among Teachers in Rijeka, Croatia

The aim of the present cross-sectional study was to investigate the knowledge and attitude regarding emergency treatment of dental trauma among elementary school teachers in the city of Rijeka, Croatia. A total of 144 teachers answered a four-part questionnaire which comprised questions regarding demographic data, role and responsibility at the working place, knowledge about dental trauma, and motivation for further education on the topic. Nearly half of the participants (47.2%) reported having seen at least one dental trauma in their professional careers. They chose to contact the child's parent first (54.1%) and only 11.1% chose to contact a dentist instead. The majority of teachers (81.9%) were not aware of the meaning of the term avulsio dentis. As to treatment of avulsed tooth, 17.3% of teachers knew the appropriate management, while 14% of them would not even touch it. With regard to transport of avulsed tooth or fractured tooth fragments, only 2% responded correctly. The majority of the responders (87.5%) had never been educated about dental trauma, but were willing to be informed through lectures (53.4%), basic life support courses (15.2%) and brochures (9.7%). Planning teachers' education through advanced training on the topic is suggested to be part of teachers' lifetime education.

General dentists' awareness of how to cope with medical emergencies in paediatric dental patients.

BACKGROUND: General dentists (GDs) should be aware of the symptoms, signs, diagnoses and treatment of medical emergencies in paediatric patients. AIM: To evaluate the knowledge of GDs in coping with medical emergencies, and to identify whether they are confident to diagnose and treat medical emergencies in paediatric patients. DESIGN: The questionnaire was conducted immediately before the beginning of national dental meetings and continuing education seminars in Croatia, attended by the GDs, in order to obtain a representative sample. RESULTS: Of a total of 498 GDs who returned the questionnaire with valid data, 51.2% reported that a medical history was regularly taken. A high proportion (81.3%) of the GDs had never received any basic life support (BLS) training and education for paediatric patients during their undergraduate studies. After graduation, this value rose to 86.1% of GDs. However, more than two-thirds (68.7%) had experienced some emergency situation in their practice. The most frequent emergency was vasovagal syncope (83.6%) and the most rare was cardiac arrest (8.2%). One-fifth (20.5%) of GDs experienced some emergency but could not make a diagnosis. The more BLS training undergone by a GD, the more self-confident s/he felt in an emergency situation. CONCLUSIONS: Most GDs have a lack of knowledge to cope with medical emergencies in paediatric patients, and do not feel confident to diagnose and treat emergency situations in children. It is suggested that adequate training and education should be provided for all GDs to address this shortcoming.

Prevalence, Type and Etiology of Dental and Soft Tissue Injuries in Children in Croatia.

The prevalence, type and etiology of dental and soft tissue injuries and relationship between the time of arrival and sustaining soft tissue injury were analyzed in this retrospective study conducted at the Department of Pediatric Dentistry, University Dental Clinic in Zagreb, Croatia, during the 2010-2014 period using documentation on 447 patients (264 male and 183 female) aged 1-16 years with injuries of primary and permanent teeth. The highest prevalence of traumatic dental injury (TDI) was found in the 7-12 age group and maxillary central incisors were most frequently affected (80.9%) in both primary and permanent dentitions. Enamel-dentin fracture without pulp exposure (31.9%) was the most common TDI of dental hard tissue in both dentitions, whereas subluxation (27.3%) was the most common periodontal tissue injury type. The most frequent location, cause and seasonal variation of trauma were at home, falling and spring. Soft tissue injuries were observed in 203 (45.4%) patients. Soft tissue injuries were less likely when fewer teeth were traumatized (p<0.001). Comparison of children with and without soft tissue injuries yielded a statistically significant difference in the time to arrival between primary and permanent teeth (p<0.01). Because soft tissue injuries include bleeding and clinical presentation appears more dramatic, the time elapsed between injury and initial treatment was shorter than in non-bleeding injuries, pointing to the need of education focused on parents and school teachers regarding the importance of immediate therapy for both bleeding and non-bleeding TDIs.