Factors influencing the accuracy of clinical decision-making in dental trauma: knowledge, experience, and educational attitudes among medical students

BACKGROUND: Traumatic dental injuries (TDI) require prompt and appropriate first aid; however, non-dental healthcare professionals often lack sufficient knowledge to manage such cases effectively. This study aimed to evaluate the accuracy of clinical decision-making among medical students in dental trauma scenarios and to identify factors influencing their performance, including knowledge, experience, and educational attitudes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional survey of 291 medical students assessed knowledge, decision-making accuracy, and educational attitudes toward dental trauma management using a structured questionnaire. RESULTS: Overall, clinical decision-making accuracy was limited, particularly for tooth avulsion. Only 9.6% of participants selected the correct management for avulsion, compared to 40.9% for crown fractures. General avulsion knowledge was significantly associated with decision accuracy (ρ = 0.31, p < 0.001) and emerged as the only significant predictor in regression analysis (B = 0.096, 95% CI: 0.039-0.153, p = 0.001). Domain-specific knowledge, including replantation and storage, was not independently associated with decision accuracy. Participation in formal dental trauma training was weakly but significantly correlated with better performance (ρ = 0.125, p = 0.034). Despite low self-assessed knowledge (mean = 1.64/5), students reported a high need for education (mean = 3.87/5) and willingness to participate in training (mean = 4.00/5). CONCLUSIONS: Medical students demonstrated limited preparedness for managing traumatic dental injuries, particularly in time-sensitive avulsion cases. General knowledge of avulsion was associated with more accurate decision-making, while other factors showed limited influence. These findings suggest that integrating structured, guideline-based dental trauma education into medical curricula may help improve preparedness, although further multicenter research is needed to confirm these observations.