Abstract
Objectives: This study aimed to measure the level of medical-emergency-related knowledge among senior dental students and clinical trainers in Saudi Arabia. Methods: This cross-sectional pilot survey was conducted at Taibah Dental College, Madina, Saudi Arabia between March 2017 and November 2018. Two hundred and seventy-five self-administered anonymous questionnaires on the management of common medical emergencies were distributed to all senior dental students and clinical trainers at Taibah Dental College. Results: There was a serious lack of knowledge regarding the management of medical emergency scenarios among the participants. Only 54% of participants knew the correct management for some frequent and life-threating conditions such as “crushed chest pain”, and only 30–35% of participants knew the correct management of deeply sedated patients with benzodiazepine overdose and crisis of hypoadrenalism. Moderate-quality knowledge (50–74% of participants responded correctly) was noted for the following conditions: sudden onset of brain stroke, psychiatric patient, unconscious patient with hypoglycemia, patient with postural hypotension, and patient with hyperventilation. Based on the scale of knowledge, there were significant differences in the level of knowledge between clinical trainers, senior dental students, and junior dental students (p ≤ 0.01). Almost all students and 90% of trainers declared the need for further training. Conclusions: The overall knowledge regarding the management of medical emergency crises in the dental chair was moderate. However, the scale of knowledge regarding the management of medical emergency crises has gradually increased with the number of years of experience. Most participants recognize the need for further training.
Highlights
Advances in Knowledge This study provides an informative platform for dental practitioners, enabling them to eliminate the uncertainty and confusion that they encounter when they are involved in a medical emergency case in the dental chair
The results indicate that clinical trainers and dental students have a good level of knowledge and information regarding certain medical emergency scenarios, for example the treatment of conscious patients with hypoglycemia, epileptic seizures, acute asthmatic attacks, and chronic liver disease
The overall knowledge regarding the management of medical emergency crises in the dental chair was moderate
Summary
Understanding emergency measures for life-threatening conditions that occur in the dental office enhance the self-confidence of dental practitioners and give them the ability creativecommons.org/licenses/by/. Despite the efforts made by dental schools to deliver the necessary knowledge about the management of medical emergency in the dental chair, there is still a number of dental graduates and dentists suffering from a deficit of knowledge in this regards [4] This defect in knowledge was recognized by many studies; as an example, Jodalli and Ankola [4] reported a shallow level of knowledge in medical emergencies, related drugs, and equipment amongst dental graduates in Belgaum city of India. In Saudi Arabia, it is a precondition for healthcare professionals to attend a training course and pass an assessment exam in cardiopulmonary resuscitation to obtain a work license [3] Such a measure is a sign of good practice. The aim of this pilot survey was (a) to measure the level of medical-emergency-related knowledge and its relationship to the expertise and (b) to measure the awareness and the need for training on the management of medical emergencies among senior dental students and trainers at Taibah Dental College, Medina, Saudi Arabia
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