Life Saving Skills in Dental Practice: Self-Perceived Preparedness of Dental Students to Manage Medical Emergencies.

Introduction: Recognition and management of medical emergencies in dental practice is an essential topic area in dental education. However, limited published research on the topic is available from dental institutions in lower-middle income countries (LMICs). Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the teaching methodologies and self-reported confidence of dental undergraduate (predoctoral) students in the management of medical emergencies likely to be encountered in clinical dental practice.

Materials and methods: After obtaining ethical approval, undergraduate dental students from six dental institutions were invited to participate in an online survey. Data were collected using a purposefully designed questionnaire which was pretested. The survey inventory explored multiple facets of teaching, training, and assessment of recognized medical emergencies in clinical dental practice. In addition, the questionnaire evaluated the self-reported confidence of the participants in the management of medical emergencies.

Results: Responses were received from 12 institutions with a population of 1402 students. A total of 727 participants responded to the survey, yielding a response rate of 51.85%. Marked variations in didactic and practical training of medical emergencies were reported. Overall, the participants reported between low and moderate confidence in the management of medical emergencies (α = 0.96). Analysis of variance showed significant variations in confidence based on demographic variables with male students, students aged over 26 years, interns, and those at private institutions reporting higher confidence (p < 0.05). Responses to open-ended items highlighted significant gaps in practical training of dental students on the management of medical emergencies.

Conclusion: The results of this study highlight significant gaps in practical training of dental students on the management of medical emergencies. The participants expressed low to moderate confidence in their knowledge and skills to manage medical emergencies. The findings underscore the need to improve the teaching, training, and assessment of undergraduate students to improve their knowledge, skills, and confidence for prevention and enable them to manage medical emergencies promptly and effectively.