Knowledge and awareness of school teachers regarding emergency management of dental trauma in school children of Navi Mumbai.

CONTEXT: Dental trauma is a serious oral health problem that can impair function and aesthetics, which affects the overall quality of life in children. AIMS: The aim of the present study was to identify the level of knowledge and awareness of school teachers regarding emergency management of dental trauma in school children of Navi Mumbai. The second objective was to correlate it with demographic characteristics and evaluate the need for oral health education programs for teachers. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: The present study is a cross-sectional survey and involved the completion of a self-administered anonymous questionnaire by teachers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 559 school teachers of primary and secondary sections completed the questionnaire comprising 19 questions. These included demographic data, knowledge regarding teeth most frequently affected by trauma, immediate action to be taken, awareness about storage media and the use of mouth guards. The questionnaire also assessed the willingness of teachers to participate in future training programs on dental trauma management. Data were statistically analysed using Chi-square test for any correlation. RESULTS: Among 559 school teachers who completed the questionnaire, 75.3% were females and 24.7% were males. Merely 6.6% of them agreed to have received prior training in dental trauma management. The majority of teachers (87.5%) were willing to attend training programs on dental trauma management. CONCLUSIONS: The knowledge and awareness of school teachers about dental trauma management and storage media for avulsed teeth is poor. Overall, they have a fair knowledge of dental trauma management in school children.

Effectiveness of Virtual Reality Eyeglasses as a Distraction Aid to Reduce Anxiety among 6-10-year-old Children Undergoing Dental Extraction Procedure.

INTRODUCTION: Distraction is commonly used nonpharmacologic pain management technique by pedodontists to manage pain and anxiety. There are some new techniques which uses audiovideo stimulation and distract the patient by exposing him or her to three-dimensional videos. These techniques are referred to as virtual reality audiovisual systems. The aim is to evaluate the effectiveness of virtual reality eyeglasses as a distraction aid to reduce anxiety of children undergoing extraction procedure. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of virtual reality eyeglasses as a distraction aid to reduce anxiety of children undergoing dental extraction procedure. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty children of age 6-10 years (n = 60) with bilateral carious primary molars indicated for extraction were randomly selected and divided into two groups of 30 each. The first one was group I (VR group) (n = 30) and group II (control group) (n = 30). Anxiety was measured by using Venham's picture test, pulse rate and oxygen saturation. Anxiety level between group I and group II was assessed using paired "t" test. RESULTS: The mean pulse rate values after extraction procedure in group I were 107.833 ± 1.356 and group II were 108.4 ± 0.927 respectively. The pulse rate values in intergroup comparison were found statistically significant p = 0.03. CONCLUSION: The virtual reality used as a distraction technique improves the physiologic parameters of children aged 6-10 years but does not reduce the patient's self-reported anxiety according to Venham's picture test used. HOW TO CITE THIS ARTICLE: Koticha P, Katge F, et al. Effectiveness of Virtual Reality Eyeglasses as a Distraction Aid to Reduce Anxiety among 6-10-year-old Children Undergoing Dental Extraction Procedure. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2019;12(4):297-302.