Knowledge, Preparedness, and Information-Seeking Behavior for Traumatic Dental Injury Management Among Undergraduate Dental Students.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Traumatic dental injury management requires both appropriate knowledge and the ability to seek reliable information when uncertainty arises. This study examined the relationships among objectively measured knowledge, self-rated knowledge, perceived preparedness, and information-seeking behavior in undergraduate dental students. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This anonymous repeated cross-sectional study analyzed 252 questionnaire responses from the same undergraduate cohort surveyed at two consecutive stages of the curriculum: 137 in the fourth year and 115 in the fifth year. The present analysis included objective knowledge, self-rated knowledge, perceived preparedness, perceived source reliability, first-choice information sources, and perceived barriers. Associations among readiness dimensions were examined using Spearman correlations and multivariable regression. Case-scenario selection of evidence-based resources and generative artificial intelligence was evaluated using Firth-penalized logistic regression. RESULTS: Perceived preparedness was more strongly associated with self-rated knowledge (ρ = 0.45) than with objectively measured knowledge (ρ = 0.23). Objective knowledge remained independently associated with preparedness (B = 0.083, 95% CI: 0.014-0.151), although its contribution was modest relative to self-rated knowledge. No statistically significant differences in objective knowledge or preparedness were observed between survey waves after correction for multiple testing. In the case scenario, evidence-based source selection was more frequent among fifth-year-wave respondents than among fourth-year-wave respondents (87.0% vs. 69.3%), whereas generative AI selection was less frequent (7.0% vs. 26.3%). Information-source selection was associated primarily with trust in the respective resources rather than with objectively measured knowledge. CONCLUSIONS: Objective knowledge, perceived preparedness, and information-seeking behavior represent related but distinct domains relevant to traumatic dental injury management. Undergraduate trauma education should combine knowledge assessment with confidence calibration and guideline-based information-seeking training.