Aim:

During dental treatment, it is possible to encounter cases of cardiac arrest, although their incidence is rare. Thus, it is necessary for dentists to be well prepared for medical emergencies (ME). The purpose of this study is to examine dentists’ theoretical and practical knowledge of up-to-date cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) guidelines and to investigate what can be done to correct the deficiencies detected.

Materials and Methods:

Data were gathered using a questionnaire consisting of multiple choice questions covering the current CPR issues. It was completed by the dentists through face-to-face interactions or e-mail between 01.09.2014 and 31.12.2014.

Results:

A total of 90 dentists, 75 of whom worked in public sectors (83.3%) and 15 of whom were in private practice (16.7%). The average distribution of the correct answers of the participants working in public sector was 33.93±17.54, whereas it was 24.33±17.51 for the participants in private practice. The mean score of the participants who stated that they participated in CPR courses after graduating from dental schools was 38.06±19.82 (n=31, 34.4%), whereas the mean score of the participants who did not attend CPR courses was 29.32±16.01 (n=59, 65.6%). A statistical significant difference between values was found (p=0.026).

Conclusion:

The participants’ level of information about CPR was lower than expected. It is strongly recommended that the syllabus related to CPR in the dental faculties should be revised and dentists’ participation in CPR courses after graduation should be promoted.

Keywords: Emergency medicine, dentist, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, basic life support