INITIAL TREATMENT OF TRAUMATIC DENTAL INJURIES BY DENTAL PRACTITIONERS

The aim of this study was to investigate the nature of initial treatme nt provided by dental practitioners to children aged 1-17 years with v arious types of traumatic dental injuries at public dental clinics in Tanzania. Questionnaires on initial treatment were mailed to 188 pract itioners and returned by 138 (73%). The reported treatments were analy zed in relation to the dental practitioners' qualifications and area o f practice. Extraction of injured teeth was frequently reported for 64 % of the injuries and prescription of antibiotics was reported by 67%, 48% and 46% of the practitioners for soft tissue injuries, concussion , and alveolar fracture respectively. Practitioners working at the Fac ulty of Dentistry were less involved in treating dental trauma than th ose at urban and rural clinics (P=0.001), while no significant associa tion was found with the level of education of the practitioners. Equal proportions of practitioners, about one-third each, reported correct, unnecessary and wrong treatment options. The quality of the treatment s provided could not be explained by background variables. It can be c oncluded that dental practitioners in Tanzania provide a lot of overtr eatment for traumatic dental injuries. Therefore, it is suggested that efforts should be made to improve and standardize treatment methods i n Tanzania.