RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Dental health and treatment are impacted by cardiovascular disease trends, complications, and related treatments. Every dentist should be prepared to handle the most serious cardiovascular emergencies and should expect to encounter them. Colleges have liability toward students to receive sufficient instructions so that they are prepared and self-assured to handle potentially life-threatening circumstances. The aim of this study is to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) among dental students in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted from January to June 2023 on undergraduates, interns, and postgraduate students studying at the dental school. A pre-validated questionnaire with 22 close-end questions consisting of demographic data and KAP items related to cardiovascular medical emergencies was circulated through Google form links. Statistical analysis was conducted using the chi-square test and multinomial regression. RESULTS: Of the 252 participants, the students overall showed moderate to poor responses among the KAP items related to cardiac emergencies. Most of the students (85%) showed positive attitude toward basic life support (BLS) and 78% on automated external defibrillation (AED). The majority of students showed unsafe practice (86.1%) that is they have not faced a cardiac emergency in the dental clinic, while 63.1% don't update their emergency skills. Postgraduate students compared to other groups showed superior responses in all three domains of KAP with statistical significance (p<0.000). The undergraduates showed moderate levels of knowledge and attitude response, but unsafe responses to practice items were observed. CONCLUSION: This study depicts that dental students who will eventually become dental practitioners have a critical need for training in managing cardiovascular medical emergencies.
