A poster and a mobile healthcare application as information tools for dental trauma management.
BACKGROUND/AIMS
Prompt management of dental trauma in children affects outcomes, and multiple educational resources are available. The aim of this study was to compare subjects' accuracy in answering a survey about dental trauma management utilizing a poster and a mobile healthcare application and to determine user preference for mode of delivery of information.


MATERIALS AND METHODS
A survey was administered to parents of patients in two pediatric dental practices. Questions collected demographic information, frequency of internet use, and responses to questions regarding dental trauma management for two separate scenarios. Participants used both a poster and a mobile application, but were randomly assigned as to which tool was utilized first.


RESULTS
Eighty-nine surveys were usable. The majority of respondents were aged 36-45 years (50.6%), had education beyond high school (64%), and had private insurance (52.8%). Less-educated individuals were more likely to report searching the Internet (74%) compared to individuals with a graduate degree (57%) (P = 0.017). The majority of subjects answered trauma management questions correctly with both tools. However, for an avulsed permanent tooth, individuals receiving the mobile application were more likely to select: 'put the tooth back in place' (71.1%) compared to those utilizing the poster, who chose 'put the tooth in milk' (56.8%) (P = 0.004). Less-educated individuals were willing to pay more for the application (P = 0.015) and were more likely to report being interested in receiving dental information through mobile technology in the future (P = 0.006).


CONCLUSIONS
Both a poster and a mobile healthcare application are effective in delivering dental trauma information.
['Iskander|Marian|M|', 'Lou|Jennifer|J|', 'Wells|Martha|M|', 'Scarbecz|Mark|M|']
D000328:Adult D002648:Child D054626:Consumer Health Information D005260:Female D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice D006801:Humans D008297:Male D063731:Mobile Applications D012574:Schools D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires D014084:Tooth Avulsion
dental trauma education mHealth