title: Preventive treatment of post-traumatic dental infraocclusion: study on the knowledge of dental decoronation in a sample of Italian dental students and dentists.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the present work is to investigate whether dental decoronation is a procedure known by a sample of dental students and Italian dentists. Dental decoronation technique is performed in order to mitigate the outcomes which may occur after a delayed tooth replantation.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cognitive survey about the knowledge of the dental decoronation technique was carried on two groups: a sample of 120 dental students (5th year of dental school), from University of Cagliari, Sassari and of Chieti-Pescara (60 males and 60 females), and a group which involved 200 Italian dentists (age comprised between 25 and 45, 130 females and 70 males) enrolled at pedodontics and orthodontics Masters and CE courses (University of Roma Sapienza, Chieti- Pescara, Cagliari). The latter group's main field of work was paediatric dentistry and orthodontics, two dental specialties often involved in treating Traumatic dental injuries.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Only 20 dentists out of the 200 interviewed answered that they knew this technique and only 5 of them proved to know it and were able to describe it correctly. No students interviewed knew this technique.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It is apparent from the results of this survey that there is very little information about the dental decoronation technique both during the Degree Course in Dentistry and Post Graduate specialty programmes (Continuing Education Courses and Masters).
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical Sciences, Dental Prosthetic Division, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Spinas
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical Sciences, Periodontology division, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Aresu
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical Sciences, Periodontology division, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Canargiu
authors.affiliation: University of Modena-Reggio (Italy), Department of Surgical Sciences, Pedodontics division.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Giannetti
mesh_terms: D003815:Dentists; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D008310:Malocclusion / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D013335:Students, Dental; D019228:Tooth Crown / Q000601:surgery*; D018677:Tooth Injuries / Q000150:complications*