e-ISSN: 2320-7949 p-ISSN: 2322-0090 31 RRJDS | Volume 5 | Issue 1 | March, 2017 Research & Reviews: Journal of Dental Sciences INTRODUCTION Dental traumatic injuries are common in infancy, childhood, adolescence. It is, in infancy and childhood, particularly relevant in terms of public health burden, because of the economic cost and number of hours of the treatment and absence from the school, the long-term consequences of trauma can in the form of compromised oral health and especially the psychological impact when there is loss of front tooth [1] . It may affect teeth, soft tissues and supporting tooth structures, and can lead to psychological, social, masticatory, phonological and esthetic changes [2] . Accidents are the main cause of dental injuries and frequently occur when the child reaches school age [3,4] . Several epidemiological studies have shown that the majority of traumatic dental injuries in school-aged children occur at home or at school [5] . Sports and school injuries account for 60% of traumatic dental injuries [6] . One to two and half years is the most common age of occurrence in the primary dentition. This is the age when a child learns to toddle and is relatively un- coordinated. Also there is a high prevalence of trauma to permanent dentition among school children aged between 8 to 11 years [7] . A large number of studies reported that 34.9% of boys and 23% of girls might be assumed to have sustained damage to their teeth by the age of 14 years [1] . The teeth most commonly involved in the primary and permanent dentitions are the maxillary anterior teeth. Primary and permanent anterior teeth are not only important for aesthetics but also are essential for biting, speech in the form of phonetics, integrity of supporting tissues, psychological and mental well-being of children [6,8] . Emergency management of traumatic dental injuries is not only the responsibility of dentists alone but a great role can also be played by school teachers who are available at the site of the accident. So, School teachers are likely to be among the frst to see a child immediately after an injury has occurred. Moreover, children spend about 40% of their awake time in school and are more engaged in sports or playing activities. Therefore the knowledge and attitude of school teachers regarding emergency management of dental trauma is critical to ensure good prognosis of the clinical treatment [9,10] . However, they have few or limited knowledge regarding the recommended course of action in such an emergencies situations like avulsions etc. It is therefore of utmost importance for physical trainers, teachers and school staff should have the basic knowledge about dental injuries and the treatment protocol for such injuries [11] . Knowledge, Attitude and Practice (Kap) of Teachers Regarding Dental Traumatic Injuries Among School Children of Shimla City Anika Uppal*, Seema Thakur, Parul Singhal, Deepak Chauhan, Cheeranjevi Jayam and Divya Doneriya Department of Pediatric and Preventive Dentistry, HP Government Dental College and Hospital, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, India Research Article ABSTRACT Traumatic dental injuries occur frequently in children and adolescents contributing to major psychosocial and economic problems. The participation of school teachers in emergency situation is fundamental to provide appropriate care to injured child. This cross-sectional study was conducted in the schools of Shimla city of Himachal Pradesh. A self-administered questionnaire was formulated to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice of school teachers towards traumatic dental injury. Knowledge of teachers regarding emergency treatment of traumatic dental injuries should be increased by providing educational and preventive programmes for better prognosis of child’s injury. Received: 29/04/2016 Accepted: 27/12/2016 Published: 03/01/2017 *For Correspondence Anika Uppal, Department of Pediatric and Preventive Dentistry, HP Government Dental College and Hospital, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, India, Tel: 9872155804 E-mail: drannika.sml@gmail.com Keywords: Traumatic injury, Knowledge, Teachers, School, Children