Perceptions of dental students on introduction of simulation-based BLS teaching in their course

This article was migrated. The article was not marked as recommended. IntroductionMedical emergencies in dental clinic can be upsetting to any practicing dentist. Cardiac arrest requiring cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is one such medical emergency which can occur in dental office. Every dental practitioner therefore should at least be able to perform the basics of CPR. The purpose of the study was to demonstrate self-perceived perceptions of change in knowledge, skills and confidence level of 3 rd year dental students after introduction of simulation based basic life support (BLS) teaching. It was assumed that after simulation based BLS teaching, dental students would feel more confident in providing immediate management to a patient of cardiac arrest during dental practice.Methods3 rd year dental students attending General Medicine clinical rotation received two hours simulation based BLS teaching and perceptions of students were taken on a questionnaire, based on Likert scale. Change in self-perceived perceptions of knowledge, skills and confidence of students was analyzed.ResultsAnalysis showed that simulation based teaching significantly increases the level of knowledge, skills and self-perceived confidence of students regarding BLS skills.ConclusionThe study determined the perceived effectiveness of simulation based teaching in increasing the confidence level of dental students regarding performance of BLS skills in dental office.