Effectiveness of an educational cartoon animation on the knowledge of children about traumatic dental injuries

Abstract

Background/Aim: Although children are frequently exposed to traumatic dental injuries (TDIs), their knowledge and attitude regarding the emergency management of TDIs are largely insufficient. The aim of this study was to determine the knowledge of children about TDIs utilizing a questionnaire before and after watching a custom animated instructional video. Material and Methods: The study was conducted with 332 children aged 8 to 13 years. The children were asked to complete a 3-part questionnaire that included socio-demographic data, past experiences related to TDIs, and knowledge of the emergency management of TDIs. An educational video containing evidence-based information about the management of TDIs was shown to the children. They then completed the questionnaire again immediately after viewing the video and 1 week later. The data were analyzed using Friedman's two-way ANOVA by ranks test, McNemar's test, and the Mann-Whitney U-test. Results: The children's scores increased significantly following the viewing of the video (p = .0001). Prior to watching the animation, children who had previously received dental trauma education had considerably higher scores than their peers (p = .004). The animation was considered to be beneficial by 96.7% of the children. Prior to watching the animation, 49.1% of the children believed they could help their friends in the event of dental trauma, and after viewing the animation, this rate increased to 86.4%, but decreased to 77.1% after 1 week (p < .001). Conclusions: After watching the video, the children's scores improved dramatically and their self-confidence in helping their friends in the event of dental trauma increased.