Improving Dental Trauma Management in Sports: Impact of a ToothSOS-Aided Educational Intervention on Sports Sciences Students.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Dental trauma is a common issue in sports; many sports participants have experienced dental injuries and sports sciences students are also involved in this at-risk group. This study aims to investigate the knowledge levels of sports sciences students regarding trauma, evaluate the awareness and effectiveness of the ToothSOS application within this group, and discuss the broader implications for sports-related trauma management. METHODS: A total of 234 sports sciences' students were involved in the study and underwent a training session on the importance of dental trauma management and use of the ToothSOS application. A questionnaire was administered before this training (T0), immediately after downloading the application and training (T1), and 1-month after the training (T2). The data were analyzed with Friedman test, Cochran's Q test and chi-squared test using the SPSS Version 25.0. RESULT: The findings indicated that both post-training accuracy scores were significantly higher than the pre-training scores (p < 0.001). While only 1.28% of participants were aware of the ToothSOS app at T0, within 1 month following the training, 21% of the participants utilized or recommended ToothSOS app for the immediate response to traumatic dental injuries and 57.26% of participants had shared the application with others even in the absence of a direct traumatic experience. The study demonstrated a statistically significant enhancement in confidence in responding to dental trauma (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: This study highlights the critical role of mobile applications like ToothSOS and professional training in dental trauma education and first aid preparedness of students involved in sports-related fields, emphasizing their potential to improve professional competence and foster a culture of safety.