Original Article

Year : 2019 | Volume : 7 | Issue : 1 | Page : 11 - 14

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices of Dental Students Regarding Medical Emergency Preparedness in Paonta Sahib, Himachal Pradesh

Priyanka Sharma, Pema Dorjee Khriney, Priyadarshani Pradhan, Priya Chettri, Pratick Dahal, Sumeet Bhatt

Department of Public Health Dentistry, Himachal Institute of Dental Sciences, Paonta Sahib, Himachal Pradesh, India

Address for correspondence:

Dr. Sumeet Bhatt,

Department of Public Health Dentistry, Himachal Institute of Dental Sciences, Paonta Sahib, Himachal Pradesh, India.

E‐mail: bhatt.sumeet@gmail.com

Abstract

Background:

Medical emergencies in dental clinics are sometimes life‐threatening situations requiring immediate attention. Dental professionals should have adequate skills to manage such emergencies in dental setup. The aim of this study was to investigate knowledge, attitude, and practices of dental students regarding medical emergency preparedness.

Materials and Methods:

One‐hundred and thirteen dental students(52 interns and 61 postgraduates) participated in this questionnaire‐based survey. Aclose‐ended pretested questionnaire consisting of 17 questions was used to assess the study parameters. Comparison of responses of interns and postgraduates was done using Chi‐square test. The level of significance for this study was fixed at P < 0.05.

Results:

Postgraduates had a better knowledge of diagnosis of medical emergencies than interns(P = 0.001). More postgraduates had attended a workshop on medical emergency management (P < 0.001) and had given intramuscular injections (P = 0.001) than interns.

Conclusions:

The basic knowledge and practices regarding medical emergency management were better in postgraduates than interns. Expertise in the management of medical emergencies is essential for dental health‐care professionals. Students should be trained better in medical emergency management at undergraduate level.

Keywords: Dental education, dental students, medical emergencies

Financial support and sponsorship

Nil.

Conflicts of interest

There are no conflicts of interest.

How to cite this article:

Sharma P, Khriney PD, Pradhan P, Chettri P, Dahal P, Bhatt S. Knowledge, attitude, and practices of dental students regarding medical emergency preparedness in Paonta Sahib, Himachal Pradesh. Int J Community Dent 2019;7:11-4.