Knowledge and Awareness towards Dental Management of Post-Cardio-Thoracic Surgery Patients among Dental Students

Abstract

Background of the Study: Oral health care professionals must be able to identify various cardiac diseases
and its associated post-operative dental emergencies to adopt the appropriate measures to treat them
efficiently and effectively. A comprehensive dental treatment plan should be constructed keeping in view all
the possible complications related to the post-operative cardio-thoracic surgical factors.
Aim: This study was aimed to determine the knowledge, attitude and awareness towards dental treatment
and their management following Cardio-thoracic surgeries among the dental students at undergraduate and
postgraduate level.
Methodology: A cross sectional survey was conducted using self-administered questionnaires, through
Google forms among 100 dental students from Tamil Nadu India. Statistics has been done and results are
tabulated.
Results: The overall knowledge towards various cardio-thoracic surgical procedures carried out and their
dental management among dental students was only 65% and 45% for postgraduates and interns group
respectively.
Conclusion: The present study showed lack of awareness with limited knowledge and attitude towards
various cardiac-thoracic surgical procedures carried out and their corresponding dental management among
the dental students especially at the undergraduate level. Hence enlightening and educating the students on
several post-surgical management phases at the undergraduate level is essential for effective and efficient
treatment outcome and increase the quality of life.