Knowledge of Dental Students and General Dentists about Medical Emergencies

Considering the fact that lack of knowledge about medical emergencies is associated with serious consequences for patients, the present study was conducted to compare the knowledge level of dental students and general dentists about medical emergencies.

This descriptive cross-sectional study was performed on senior dental students of Babol University of Medical Sciences in the academic year 2014-2015 and dentists practicing in Babol city. Data were collected by a questionnaire, which included questions regarding the demographic information of participants, their educational experience in this field, and knowledge level. Data were analyzed by t-test, Chi-square test, and Pearson and Spearman’s correlation coefficients.

Fifty dental students with a mean age of 26.78 years and 50 dentists with a mean age of 37.36 years were evaluated. The mean experience of dentists was 7.46 years. Totally, 11 students (22%) and 39 dentists (48%) had encountered medical emergencies in the past year. Of all, 16 students (32%) and 12 dentists (24%) had received the necessary training in their university. The mean knowledge score was statistically similar in both groups (5.46±1.07 and 5.76±1.30 in students and dentists, respectively; P=0.2). The level of knowledge of 48% of dental students and 44% of dentists was poor; 8% of dentists had very good knowledge level.

The knowledge of dentists and senior dental students of Babol regarding medical emergencies was similar and generally not satisfactory.