Cognition of 119 emergency medical technicians on dental emergency treatment in the Jeju province

Kim, Sung Joon; Kim, Woo Jeong; Lee, Byoung Jin

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
The purpose of this study was to assess the cognition of 119 emergency medical technician (EMT) on dental emergency treatment.
METHODS
A total of 184 subjects completed the questionnaire composed of 14 items during which, 119 EMT participated in periodic refresher training in Jeju province. Independent sample t-test and chi-square test were used to assess the state of 119 EMT on dental emergency treatment.
RESULTS
Qualified region of respondents were both in the Jeju province (71.7%) and outside of the Jeju province (28.3%). The class of education on dentistry in formal education that answered 0 hour was 64.7% and 1-3 hours was 16.8% of respondents. The class of refresher training on dentistry that answered 0 hour was 78.3% and 1-3 hours was 13.0%, aggregately 91.3%. The results showed low score in reduction (1.93+/-1.10) and fixation (1.88+/-1.02) of dislocated temporo-madibular joint by 5-point Likert scale. Likewise, the scores were 2.30+/-0.92 in the treatment of maxillofacial trauma, 3.21 +/-1.20 in emergent care of avulsed tooth, and 3.42+/-1.26 in treatment time of avulsed tooth, respectively. The class of education on dentistry in formal education between the qualified regions showed a statistically significant difference (P <.05) and the refresher training time was observed to be borderline (P =0.069). There was no significant difference on the cognition of emergency dental treatment, according to the qualified region.
CONCLUSIONS
Considering the result of this study, we think the education of dental emergency could play an important role in the initial management of injuries and suggest a further co-study with EMT.