Evaluation of emergency equipment and drugs in Karaj urban dental clinics and the ability of dentists to use them

Evaluation of emergency equipment and drugs in Karaj urban dental clinics and the ability of dentists to use them Dr. M. Bayat* - Dr. L. Malkamian** - Dr. F. Baheri*** *- Assistant Professor of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Dept. - Faculty of Dentistry–Tehran University of Medical Sciences. **- Assistant Professor of Statistics Dept. Faculty of Medicine – Tehran University of Medical Sciences. ***- Dentist. Background and Aim: An acceptable readiness to confront dental and medical emergencies requires scientific background and adequate equipment than result in self – confidence in dentist or clinician. The goal of this study was to evaluate emergency equipment and drugs in Karaj urban dentistry clinics as well as the ability of dentists to use them in 2003-2004 Materials and Methods: This cross – sectional descriptive study was conducted using a questionnaire. After reviewing an overall list, the urban dentists of Karaj were identified to complete the questionnaire. The data were collected and analyzed by descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation test. Results: 99% of dentists believed in the occurrence of emergency cases in dental clinic and 61.9% of them faced with such cases. Approximately 40% of the studied dentists had 1 – 4 entities of emergency equipment and drugs in their kits. The ability to use emergency kits in males was higher than females. Almost one – fifth of dentists confronted with CPR cases where as 73% of them managed to perform it successfully. University courses were identified as the first training source for medical emergencies. Along with an increase in work period, emergency kit and drugs existing in the clinics became more acceptable showing the significant relationship between these two variables. Conclusion: In our country, the same as other countries, emergency cases are likely to happen in dental clinics whereas emergency facilities are involved with a lot of shortages indicating an urgent need for higher instructions and modern equipment in the clinics. Key words: Emergency – Equipment – Drug – Dentists - Karaj