Assessment of Senior Students\' and Dentists\' Knowledge about Medical Emergencies in Dental Offices, Sari, Iran 2016

Background and purpose: Most of medical emergencies occurring in dental offices could be life – threatening. So, a dentist must have appropriate knowledge for recognizing and management of these emergencies. The aim of this study was to investigate the knowledge of dentists and senior dental students on the management of medical emergencies in dental offices. Materials and methods: This analytic cross-sectional research was carried out in Sari among 114 dentists and senior dental students in 2016. A validated questionnaire consisting of 20 questions was administered. The questionnaire included demographic information and also 17 questions about knowledge (scores 14-17: excellent, 11-14: good, 8-11: moderate, and less than 8: poor). Data was analyzed using descriptive and analytical tests in SPSS V20 and a significance level of 0.05 was considered. Results: The levels of knowledge of participants were found to be poor in 16.7%, moderate in 69.3%, good in 13.2%, and excellent in 1%. There was no significant differences in levels of knowledge between dentists and dental students (P = 0.430) and also between men and women (P= 0.630). Conclusion: Insufficient levels of knowledge in dentists and senior dental students in Sari on diagnosis and management of dental emergencies call for interventions such as workshops and training programs.