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CC BY 4.0 · Eur J Dent 2023; 17(03): 749-755
DOI: 10.1055/s-0042-1755628
Original Article

A Pilot Study of Preparedness of Dentists in the United Arab Emirates to Deal with Medical Emergencies

Helmi Shaath
1   College of Dental Medicine, Department of Preventive and Restorative Dentistry, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
,
Basheer Salman
2   Department of Oral and Craniofacial Health Sciences, College of Dental Medicine, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
,
Dalia Daghistani
1   College of Dental Medicine, Department of Preventive and Restorative Dentistry, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
,
Rayan Koutaich
1   College of Dental Medicine, Department of Preventive and Restorative Dentistry, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
,
Alya Alhammadi
1   College of Dental Medicine, Department of Preventive and Restorative Dentistry, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
,
Nermeen Yakoub
1   College of Dental Medicine, Department of Preventive and Restorative Dentistry, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
,
Manal A. Awad
1   College of Dental Medicine, Department of Preventive and Restorative Dentistry, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
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Abstract

Objectives The purpose of this pilot study is to assess the United Arab Emirates dentists' preparedness to manage medical emergencies.

Materials and Methods Ninety-seven licensed dentists participated in this study. Dentists responded to self-administrated questionnaires that contained 23 questions divided into five parts. The first part collected data on participants' sex, years of experience, and whether they are general dental practitioner (GDP) or specialists. The second part included seven questions that asked participants to indicate if they took medical history, obtained vital signs, and attended basic life support courses. The third part included six multiple choice questions regarding the availability of emergency drugs in the dental clinic. The fourth part consisted of three multiple-choice questions that assessed the dentists' immediate response to a medical emergency. Finally, the fifth part comprised four questions to evaluate the dentists' knowledge of proper treatment of special emergency cases they may encounter in the dental offices.

Results Out of the 97 participants, only 51% (N = 49) indicated that they can handle emergencies such as anaphylactic shock and syncope in the dental office. The majority of the dentists (80%) indicated that they have emergency kits. Only 46% of the specialists and 42% of the GDPs were able to correctly plan extractions in a patient with a prosthetic heart valve. Less than half of the participants (N = 35, 36%) were able to correctly answer the question regarding management of a foreign-body aspiration by attempting Heimlich/Triple maneuver.

Conclusions Within the limitations of this study, dentists need further hands-on training to improve their skills and knowledge about medical emergencies that could occur in the dental settings. Furthermore, we recommend that guidelines should be available in the clinic to strengthen the dentists' ability to deal with medical emergencies.

Keywords

dentists - medical emergencies - preparedness


Publication History

Article published online:
14 April 2023

© 2023. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, permitting unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction so long as the original work is properly cited. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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