Knowledge and awareness of basic life support among interns of a dental college in Mangalore, India

Aim: To evaluate the knowledge and awareness of Basic life support among the interns in a dental institution in Mangalore, India. Objective: To evaluate the knowledge and awareness of Basic Life support among the interns of a dental institution in Mangalore, India. Material and Method: A cross sectional questionnaire study was conducted in a DCI (Dental Council of India) recognized college in Mangalore, India. The data was collected using questionnaire method regarding the awareness and knowledge of Basic Life support among the interns of a dental institution in Mangalore, India. Data Collection: Questionnaires were introduced to the participants regarding the awareness and knowledge of basic life support after obtaining the informed consent.82 questionnaires were distributed to the Interns of a dental college for this study. Statistical Analysis: Descriptive statistics were tabulated. Chi-square tests were applied for this study. Results: According to the results of this study, 86.6% of the interns had attended a training program in BLS. 100% of the interns responded that BLS training should be a compulsory part of the dental curriculum. 95.1% of the interns gave the correct response to a question on airway obstruction. Only 47.6% of the interns were able to discuss the right sequence for of administration of the maneuvers for BLS. Only 25.6% interns were able to discuss the right answer on checking the pulse for not more than 5 seconds. 78% of the interns were able to give the correct answer for the most appropriate rate of CPR for an adult. Conclusion: According to the results of this study the awareness of the interns regarding BLS was high but the knowledge levels was low. This reinforces the fact that BLS training should be made a mandatory part of the dental undergraduate program to better enable the dental graduates handle Medical emergencies that may occur in the dental clinics.