title: Knowledge about permanent tooth avulsion and its management among dentists in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There is a lack of adequate information on dentists' knowledge about tooth avulsion and its management in Saudi Arabia. The aim of this study was to evaluate the level of knowledge about permanent tooth avulsion and its management among dentists working in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 550 dentists were contacted to request their participation in this 19-item questionnaire survey over a three-month period starting in January 2015 using convenience sampling methodology. A questionnaire consisting of demographic items and multiple-choice questions regarding knowledge of avulsion and its management was used. The level of knowledge was assessed using a scoring system that assigned one point for each correct answer and zero points for wrong answers, with a maximum possible score of ten points. An independent t-test was used to compare the level of knowledge (mean score) based on particular variables, such as sex, nationality, type of practice, current employment, working hours and whether the respondents had attended a continuing dental education (CDE) programme on avulsion management. The level of significance was set at P< 0.05.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 470 completed questionnaires were collected with data suitable for statistical analysis. The majority of the respondents were Saudi (n = 331; 72.1 %) and general practitioners (n = 278; 59.3 %). Most of the participants correctly responded to the knowledge-based questions, except the questions regarding the best storage medium (milk: 24.1 %) and the duration of follow-up by clinical and radiographic examination (5 years: 15.6 %). The mean knowledge score was 5.94 ± 1.57. Gender (P = 0.001), current employment (P = 0.045) and working hours per day (P = 0.020) had a significant effect on the mean knowledge score.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The surveyed dentists were found to have a moderate knowledge of avulsion and its management, although a relative lack of knowledge was observed regarding the duration of follow-up after replantation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Restorative Dentistry, College of Dentistry, King Saud University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. yousra.aljazairy@gmail.com.|Dental Caries Research Chair, College of Dentistry, King Saud University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. yousra.aljazairy@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Yousra Hussain
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: AlJazairy
authors.affiliation: Dental Caries Research Chair, College of Dentistry, King Saud University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. halawanyhksu@gmail.com.|Department of Periodontics and Community Dentistry, College of Dentistry, King Saud University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. halawanyhksu@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Hassan Suliman
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Halawany
authors.affiliation: Dental Caries Research Chair, College of Dentistry, King Saud University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. nassr.almaflehi@gmail.com.|Department of Periodontics and Community Dentistry, College of Dentistry, King Saud University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. nassr.almaflehi@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Nassr
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: AlMaflehi
authors.affiliation: Dental Caries Research Chair, College of Dentistry, King Saud University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. nawaf.alhussainan@gmail.com.|Dental Health Department, Prince Sultan Military Medical City, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. nawaf.alhussainan@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Nawaf Sulaiman
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Alhussainan
authors.affiliation: Dental Caries Research Chair, College of Dentistry, King Saud University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. nimmibaksu@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Nimmi Biju
authors.initials: NB
authors.lastname: Abraham
authors.affiliation: Dental Caries Research Chair, College of Dentistry, King Saud University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. vimaljacobksu@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Vimal
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Jacob
mesh_terms: D002983:Clinical Competence; D003815:Dentists; D019229:Dentition, Permanent; D006801:Humans; D012529:Saudi Arabia; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014084:Tooth Avulsion / Q000628:therapy; D014090:Tooth Replantation