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Background/aim Dental trauma in school populations has a high frequency and school teachers are often close to the place where such injuries occur. However, many studies have confirmed the lack of knowledge as to how to act in these cases. The aim of this study was to determine the knowledge in regard to dental trauma of school teachers in Colombia. Materials and methods A multicentre, descriptive cross-sectional study was performed in 251 schools using a stratified randomized sampling. A structured hard copy survey was personally delivered to 2390 school teachers in the selected schools. The survey contained questions related to work experience, teaching level and demographic data, as well as questions related to their knowledge of and attitude towards emergency dental trauma management. Results The response rate was 96%. Most of the school teachers (95%) had never received training related to dental trauma, although 35% had witnessed at least 1 case. Of 2296 school teachers surveyed, only 5.8% would have replanted an avulsed tooth. An association was found between work experience and appropriate management of an avulsed tooth. No significant differences were found in regard to school location (city), school type (private/public), gender and school teachers' education level. Conclusions The knowledge of school teachers in Colombia about emergency dental trauma management is inadequate. The findings strongly suggest a need for an education strategy with the involvement of the government, dentistry schools and private organizations.