The attitudes and awareness of emergency department (ED) physicians towards the management of common dentofacial emergencies

Trivedy, C., Kodate, N., Ross, A. , Al-Rawi, H., Jaiganesh, T., Harris, T. and Anderson, J.E. (2012) The attitudes and awareness of emergency department (ED) physicians towards the management of common dentofacial emergencies. Dental Traumatology, 28(2), pp. 121-126. (doi: 10.1111/j.1600-9657.2011.01050.x)

Abstract

Abstract –  Objective:  Dentofacial emergencies are a common presentation to the emergency department (ED) but there is little recent data on physicians’ knowledge, confidence and attitudes in handling these cases.<p></p> Method:  A questionnaire was administered to 103 ED physicians. The sample was primarily drawn from London hospitals as well a smaller contribution from around the UK and included physicians with a range of experience and at different grades.<p></p> Results:  The majority of the 102 participants (76.5%) did not receive any formal training in managing dentofacial emergencies. The percentage of participants who were happy to manage common dentofacial emergencies is as follows: dental trauma (20.4%); major facial trauma (39.8%); interpreting facial X-rays (68.0%); and facial suturing (85.4%). When questioned 12.1% of the participants felt that ED physicians should be responsible for managing dental emergencies compared to 22.4% who felt that ED physicians should manage maxillofacial emergencies. Only 3.9% of the participants would opt to be treated by an ED doctor in the event of them presenting to the ED with a dental injury. The remaining 72.5% would prefer to be seen by a maxillofacial surgeon, 23.5% by a dentist and none of the participants opted to be seen by the emergency nurse practitioner.<p></p> Conclusion:  ED physicians do not feel confident in managing some dentofacial emergencies. This may be attributed to a lack of training in this area as well as exposure to these types of emergencies. There is a need for greater awareness, validated guidelines and training resources for ED physicians to treat dentofacial emergencies as well more research in this field of emergency medicine.<p></p>

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Ross, Dr Alastair
• Authors: Trivedy, C., Kodate, N., Ross, A., Al-Rawi, H., Jaiganesh, T., Harris, T., and Anderson, J.E.
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Medicine, Dentistry & Nursing > Dental School
• Journal Name: Dental Traumatology
• ISSN: 1600-4469
• ISSN (Online): 1600-9657