Evaluation of educational needs assessment and management of dental traumas in primary school teachers, in Iran and worldwide: A systematic review

Every year, many primary school children suffer from dental trauma. The long-term success of treatment depends on immediate emergency care and initial professional management after the injury occurs. Therefore, primary school teachers can play an important role in the management of traumatic dental injuries (TDIs). As no systematic review has been conducted on this subject in Iran, the present study aimed to investigate the educational needs assessment and management of dental trauma in primary school teachers in Iran and in other countries.

In this systematic review, four main electronic databases, PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar, were examined with keywords derived from MESH and by designing a detailed search strategy. The studies were then transferred to EndNote software version 20 and screened based on preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and according to the study input criteria. Then, the selected studies were reviewed to extract the data based on the objectives of the study.

Eventually 19 studies were included in the final review phase out of the 774 studies obtained during the systematic search. Five of these studies were specific to Iran. The present study showed that the knowledge of primary school teachers about managing dental traumas is insufficient, and it is necessary to train them on appropriate trauma management to improve their ability and performance.

There are gaps in the management of dental traumas that confirm the need for effective education and intervention to improve the knowledge, performance, attitude, and ability of teachers.