Knowledge and Attitude of Dental Students and Staffs towards Basic life Support(BLS)

Introduction:The present study was aimed to assess the awareness, knowledge, and attitude towards basic life support (BLS) among the dental students and faculty of Al Azhar dental college. Materials and Methods:A descriptive study was conducted by using a Questionnaire comprising of 20 questions to collect the data pertaining to awareness and knowledge of BLS, attitude towards BLS among the 3rd, final year dental students and the faculty members. After excluding the incomplete response sheets which were none in the present study, the data from 212 members were subjected to the analysis. The Main outcome measure was the over all score in the BLS knowledge. Knowledge of BLS was assessed as per the data contained in the Basic life support manual from American Heart Association. Results: Out of 212 members 109 were 3rd year students and 85 were final year students and 18 faculty members. The overall knowledge score was 33.7%. Overall results were poor with less than minimum knowledge on the topic BLS. A score of less than 50% was evident in the study indicating a poor knowledge of BLS among both the students and the faculty.The range of correct answers were 3-11 among students and 4-6 among the staffs. A significant difference (p<0.05) was observed between students and faculty members. Conclusion: Present study reports just 33.7 % participants had knowledge regarding BLS necessitates immediate attention of training of dental students and faculties regarding BLS.