Knowledge and Attitude of General Dentists and Last-year Students Regarding the Management of Medically Compromised Patients in Shiraz, Iran

Background: An increase in the number of medically compromised patients in dental clinics may cause serious problems for practicing dentists all over the world. When a dentist does not understand well the relationship between oral and systemic diseases, dental care may become a quite complicated issue. The present study was conducted to analyse the level of general dentists’ knowledge about systemic disease management in Shiraz, Iran.

Materials and Methods: As a cross-sectional descriptive survey of private dental practitioners, the current study was conducted in Shiraz, Iran, from September through November 2010. In order to evaluate general dentists' knowledge, experience and perceptions of medical emergencies in dental offices, a cross-sectional questionnaire approach was applied.

Results: Out of 120 general dentists, only 57 filled out the questionnaire. Among these, 15 dentists (25.86%) had good knowledge, 21 (36.20%) had moderate knowledge and 22 (37.93%) had a poor level of knowledge. The knowledge score differences of males and females were not statistically significant (p=0.439). No significant relationship was observed between the dentists' knowledge and their school of graduation (p=0.256). When treating patients with systemic diseases, 43% of the dentists mentioned that they consulted with their medical colleagues. A total of 68 last-year students also filled out the questionnaire. Among them, 65 students (95.58%) had good knowledge about systemic disease management and only three (4.42%) were at the moderate level. The knowledge scores of the students were significantly higher than that of practitioner dentists (p=0.005).

Conclusion: The knowledge of some Iranian dentists regarding the management of medically compromised patients is not at an acceptable level, and continuing post-graduate education courses beyond dental school seems necessary. It is also recommended to think about broadening the scenario for practice during undergraduate courses.