Sandra Hrvatin

General dentists’ awareness of how to cope with medical emergencies in paediatric dental patients

BACKGROUND General dentists (GDs) should be aware of the symptoms, signs, diagnoses and treatment of medical emergencies in paediatric patients. AIM To evaluate the knowledge of GDs in coping with medical emergencies, and to identify whether they are confident to diagnose and treat medical emergencies in paediatric patients. DESIGN The questionnaire was conducted immediately before the beginning of national dental meetings and continuing education seminars in Croatia, attended by the GDs, in order to obtain a representative sample. RESULTS Of a total of 498 GDs who returned the questionnaire with valid data, 51.2% reported that a medical history was regularly taken. A high proportion (81.3%) of the GDs had never received any basic life support (BLS) training and education for paediatric patients during their undergraduate studies. After graduation, this value rose to 86.1% of GDs. However, more than two-thirds (68.7%) had experienced some emergency situation in their practice. The most frequent emergency was vasovagal syncope (83.6%) and the most rare was cardiac arrest (8.2%). One-fifth (20.5%) of GDs experienced some emergency but could not make a diagnosis. The more BLS training undergone by a GD, the more self-confident s/he felt in an emergency situation. CONCLUSIONS Most GDs have a lack of knowledge to cope with medical emergencies in paediatric patients, and do not feel confident to diagnose and treat emergency situations in children. It is suggested that adequate training and education should be provided for all GDs to address this shortcoming.

Postupci prve pomoći u hitnom zbrinjavanju ozljeda zuba – znanje među učiteljima u gradu Rijeci, Hrvatska

The aim of the present cross-sectional study was to investigate the knowledge and attitude regarding emergency treatment of dental trauma among elementary school teachers in the city of Rijeka, Croatia. A total of 144 teachers answered a four-part questionnaire which comprised questions regarding demographic data, role and responsibility at the working place, knowledge about dental trauma, and motivation for further education on the topic. Nearly half of the participants (47.2%) reported having seen at least one dental trauma in their professional careers. They chose to contact the child’s parent first (54.1%) and only 11.1% chose to contact a dentist instead. The majority of teachers (81.9%) were not aware of the meaning of the term avulsio dentis. As to treatment of avulsed tooth, 17.3% of teachers knew the appropriate management, while 14% of them would not even touch it. With regard to transport of avulsed tooth or fractured tooth fragments, only 2% responded correctly. The majority of the responders (87.5%) had never been educated about dental trauma, but were willing to be informed through lectures (53.4%), basic life support courses (15.2%) and brochures (9.7%). Planning teachers’ education through advanced training on the topic is suggested to be part of teachers’ lifetime education.