Awareness, attitude, and practice about basic life support among dental students

Abstract

Introduction: A medical emergency can be described as a sudden onset of serious illness or injury requiring immediate medical attention otherwise it can put a patient's health in serious jeopardy, often referred to as a situation risking “life or limb.” It is thus imperative that dental students are competent enough to administer basic life support (BLS) to manage emergencies which can occur anywhere and anytime. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted to assess the knowledge, attitude, and perception among dental students of Manav Rachna Dental College, Faridabad, about BLS. A total of 177 students participated in the study. The respondents were provided with a prevalidated, self-administered questionnaire which comprised 23 closed-ended questions about knowledge, three questions about attitude, and five questions about practice of BLS. The questionnaire was administered in an online mode using Google Forms. Results: The results showed that majority of students lacked adequate knowledge about BLS protocol. The average score of 177 respondents was 7.8/23 points which is significantly low. Discussion: Life-threatening medical emergencies can occur at any time. There have been reports of Cardiopulmonary Arrest (CPA) and deaths in dental clinics. Therefore, it is crucial for dental practitioners to have adequate knowledge about BLS or CAB consisting of (C) circulation, (B) breathing, and (A) airway opening. Conclusion: The dental students lack adequate knowledge to perform BLS procedures with ease and confidence. However, they had a positive attitude toward it.