Evaluation of Existence of Emergency Kit and the Ability of Use it by General Dentists in Isfahan Province in 2018

Medical emergencies are one of the most stressful situations in a dental office. The first and the most important step in managing the medical emergencies is the ability to provide basic life support, which requires knowledge, experience and equipment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the emergency equipment and drug status and the ability to use them by general dentists in three cities in Isfahan Province. The current cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted by referring to 85 general dental offices with a questionnaire. Data were analyzed with SPSS 23, and the results were reported in the form of the means for quantitative data and in the form of frequencies for qualitative data. In addition, independent t-test was used to assess statistical relationships at a significance level of (p value < 0.05). Based on the results, 39.7% of dentists had encountered emergency events during the previous year, with vasovagal syncope as the most frequent of them. Hydrocortisone (35.6%) and nitroglycerin (32.8%) were the most common emergency drugs and an oxygen tank (54.7%) was the most common available equipment in dental offices. Independent t-test showed a significant relationship between participation in medical emergency courses and the availability of an emergency kit in the dental office (p value = 0.04). The majority of dental offices in our study had incomplete emergency kits and most of the dentists did not have adequate skill in providing emergency services such as IV or SC injections. The results of this study strongly suggest proper practical training both for dentists and students.