Awareness towards management and prevention of dental injuries among sports instructors in Delhi, India

The purpose of this study was to assess the level of awareness towards management and prevention of dental injuries among sports instructors in Delhi, India, by a self-administered questionnaire.

A total of 100 questionnaires were distributed to sports instructors from different sports academies of Delhi, India. The questionnaire surveyed the basic details of the sports instructors, their knowledge in management of dental trauma and awareness regarding use of mouth guards to prevent dental trauma. Statistical analysis was performed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 16.0.

96 out of 100 teachers responded to the questionnaires, who had a mean experience of 6.9 years, out of which 23% gave training for basketball, 20.8% for cricket, 13% for tennis and rest 43.2% for other contact sports. 28% stated that they would preserve a fractured fragment or avulsed tooth, while the remaining 72% won't. The medium which they preferred was ice (35%), handkerchief (22%), any liquid (20%), in child's mouth (9%), cotton (8%) and in child's hand (2%). Amongst ones who preferred other liquid as transportation medium, 57% preferred tap water, 28% fresh milk, 8% spirit while 3% normal saline. Though, 67% of these teachers were aware of the use of mouth guards, 51% of these stated that they wouldn't advice its use.

Hence, the present study indicates that there is lack of awareness among the sports instructors regarding the management and prevention of dental injuries in Delhi, India.