Basic life support: Knowledge and attitude among dental students and Staff in the College of Dentistry, King Saud University

Basic Life Support Knowledge, Awareness, and Attitude among Dental Students in Davangere City, Karnataka, India: A Cross-sectional Study

“…In a study by Alotaibi et al, 7 dental students and staff in King Saud University reported that almost all the participants (99.1%) had attended previous BLS workshops, whereas the present study showed that most of the participants (68.5%) had not attended previous BLS workshops. Around 92.7% participants have not seen and not been involved in any patient resuscitation experience.…”

“…The reasons for this variation could be lack of BLS workshops in their surroundings. In the present study, a large number of the respondents (51.3%) were reluctant to perform CPR to a stranger because they are not aware of the procedure and about one-third of them (30.1%) indicated that the reason for reluctance is being afraid of causing further harm to the patient, which is comparable to the responses of participants in a study by Alotaibi et al 7 Only 23.2% of the responders answered the rate of chest compression as 100/minute in adults and children in the present study when compared with 35% of the responders in a study by Chandrasekaran et al, 12 with the study group comprising medical, dental, nursing students, and faculty in a city in Tamil Nadu. More than half of the participants (55.2%) did not know that the right location of chest compression is the midchest in the present study, whereas 74% participants did not know the correct location of chest compression in a study by Chandrasekaran et al 12 The present study results demonstrated that 83.6% participants were not aware about the immediate action to be taken if they found someone unresponsive in the middle of the road, whereas 89% failed to insist on activating EMS immediately after confirming the unresponsiveness in an adult in a study by Chandrasekaran et al 12 The reasons for this could be multifactorial, either their lack of basic knowledge of BLS or ignorance or lack of confidence in answering this question.…”

“…The medical emergencies are not rare in dental practice, as about two-thirds of dentists faced at least one emergency during the 12-month study period. 7 Dentistry is a health profession that should provide complete medical care and treat the whole patient rather than focusing on the oral cavity. In India, the undergraduate curriculum as proposed by the Dental Council of India includes medical emergency management under the subjects of general medicine and oral and maxillofacial surgery.…”

“…As health care professionals, dental practitioners also encounter life-threatening medical emergencies in routine practice. 7 Fear and anxiety within the confines of the dental office due to increased level of stress often may make these patients prone to medical emergencies. Effective management of an emergency situation in the dental office is ultimately the dentist's responsibility.…”

“…Effective management of an emergency situation in the dental office is ultimately the dentist's responsibility. 7 It is logical to provide BLS training during undergraduate years ensuring basic competence in all graduating health care students. 8 The literature is limited in regard to the BLS knowledge among dental students in Davangere city, Karnataka, India.…”