Effectiveness of the ToothSOS App as a training tool for the emergency management of traumatic dental injuries among non-dentists.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Traumatic dental injuries (TDIs) are a major and urgent problem in oral health. Therefore, non-dentists need to be conscious of the emergency management of TDIs. The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of the ToothSOS App on the level of knowledge about emergency management of TDIs among people who are not dental professionals. MATERIALS METHODS: One hundred and five non-dentists, aged 22-57 years, participated in this study and were given training on TDIs. The ToothSOS App launched by the IADT was used as a training tool. A 25-question survey was conducted three times; before the ToothSOS App was downloaded and reviewed (T(0) ), immediately after (T(1) ), and one month later (T(2) ). RESULTS: There was a statistically significant difference among the three time periods (p < .001) in terms of the knowledge about the management of TDIs, and the knowledge increased significantly (p < .001) at both T(1) and T(2) after reviewing the ToothSOS App. On a scale from 0 to 10, the mean correct scores increased from 2.85 +/- 2.15 (median [min-max]: 2[0-10]) to 8.23 +/- 2.21 (median [min-max]: 9 [1-10]) (effect size: 2.5) at T(1) and to 7.40 +/- 2.34 (median [min-max]: 8 [1-10]) (effect size: 2.1) at T(2) . CONCLUSION: The ToothSOS App as a training tool was effective to increase the knowledge level of individuals about the emergency management of TDIs.