Swati Sharma
It has been reported that Medical emergencies are 5.8 times more likely to occur in dental offices than in medical offices and an average dentist might expect to encounter some form of medical emergency as often as every 16 months. Approximately, 7.5 -8% of emergencies are expected to occur in a dental clinic every 10 years. Keeping the above factors in mind, a study was conducted to assess the proficiency of Post Graduate Students and Dentists regarding emergency medical care and its practical application in a dental setting from all corners of the globe. Data was collected through a pre-tested and pre-validated online questionnaire (google forms) divided in to 3 sections and having a total of 19 questions. Data was analyzed using SPPS version 21.0. Analysis of the results revealed that out of a total of 941 dentists, only 499 (53.1%) reported to have undergone any medical emergency and/or basic life support training and 685 (72.8%) reported having an emergency kit in their clinics. 910 (96.7%) dentists reported having to have encountered some kind of dental emergency in their clinic(s) with syncope(560, 61.1%) being the most common emergency. Dentists with >5 years of experience fared better (significant association) on questions related to handling medical emergencies; however, this was statistically not significant when compared with one’s qualification.As per the data analyzed, it is recommended that Basic Life Support is included in the dental curriculum and dentists are made to undergo a refresher course at fixed periods of time during their clinical practice so that they can be more proficient in handling any medical emergency encountered in their clinical setting(s).
