Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Knowledge and Experience Among Dentists in Turkey

Abstract

Aim:Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is an essential skill that all health care professionals are advised to acquire. Dentists, as health professionals, should be able to recognize cardiac arrest and effectively perform CPR. This study aimed to evaluate the knowledge and experiences of general dentists in Turkey on CPR.Materials and Methods:A cross-sectional study was conducted among 152 general dentists working in Turkey. Data were obtained through an electronic survey including the knowledge and attitude of dentists on CPR based on the 2015 American Heart Association guidelines update. Data were evaluated using the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS version 22).Results:A total of 152 general dentists participated in the present study, giving a response rate of 76%. While 44% of the dentists answered more than half of the questions, none of the dentists answered all the questions correctly. Although only 1.3% of the dentists stated that they had encountered a cardiac arrest case, 34.2% of them stated that they could evaluate a cardiac arrest case. In addition, although 73.7% of the dentists had previously received cardiopulmonary resuscitation training, only 6.6% of them considered themselves adequate in CPR administration. Of the dentists, 11.8% were aware of the 2015 CPR guidelines. Among the dentists, 88.2% of them stated that they should be skilled in CPR as a dentist, while 90.8% of them wanted to undergo CPR training.Conclusion:This study showed that the majority of general dentists in Turkey had insufficient knowledge on CPR. Therefore, CPR training should be regularly provided to general dentists in the country.

Keywords

• cardiopulmonary resuscitation
• basic life support
• medical emergencies
• dentistry