Anesthesia & Clinical Research
Open Access

Abstract

Assessment of Dental Students’ Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Knowledge and Experience in Turkey

Aysun Caglar Torun

Background: This questionnaire-based study aimed to evaluate the CPR knowledge and experiences of Turkish trainee dentists and research assistants at the Faculty of Dentistry of Ondokuz Mayis University in Turkey.

Methods: All the dentists completed a 23-item questionnaire about basic and advanced life support. The survey questions focused on the CPR knowledge and experiences of the dentists.

Results: During their undergraduate education, 68.7% (n=68) of the trainee dentists and 60.5% (n=23) of the research assistants stated they had received CPR training (p=0.010 and p=0.016, respectively). In postgraduate education, 7.9% (n=3) of the research assistants said they had received CPR training (p=0.028). With regard to performing orotracheal intubation on a model, 31.3% (n=3) of the interns and 68.4% (n=26) of the research assistants had never performed this procedure (p=0.009 and p=0.006). There was a significant difference in the number of interns versus that of research assistant who had performed orotracheal intubation on a model (p=0.009). The interns gave correct answers to 5 (0-10) of the questions, and the research assistants correctly answered 6 (0-10) of the questions, on average (p=0.034).

Conclusion: An inability to manage medical emergencies properly can lead to legal complications and sometimes have tragic consequences. To ensure that dentists are able to manage medical emergencies in daily practice and enhance patient safety, training on CPR skills should be increased and made mandatory in all undergraduate and postgraduate dental courses.