Assessment of Knowledge of BLS amongst MDS students in a teaching institute

Abstract

Basic life support which was invented in 1960 is essential during cardiopulmonary resuscitation. In India, the research on knowledge regarding basic life support amongst dental students, dental specialists and staff is deficient. The objective of this study was to assess and compare the knowledge about basic life support amongst 2^nd and 3^rd year MDS students. The authors conducted a questionnaire study to compare and assess the knowledge of Basic Life Support in 2^nd and 3^rd year MDS students. The questionnaire was formulated after a thorough literature search. The questionnaire was validated and then sent to the students and the data was recorded and analyzed.

It was found that the second years (N= 42) had low knowledge scores compared to the third years (N= 45). Out of the nine branches, participants belonging to the pedodontics department had the lowest score whereas those belonging to endodontics department had the highest score. The study concluded that 3^rd year MDS students had better knowledge about Basic Life Support than the 2^nd year MDS students. However, the residents of oral and maxillofacial surgery had higher knowledge compared to the other branches.