Abstract

Background: Planning for dental treatment for medically compromised patients (MCP) generally involves understanding the nature of the patient's condition and its influence on their general and dental health, response to treatment, and post-treatment healing. Dental senior students and interns need to be confident about formulating a treatment plan to treat MCP with impaired health status, like systemic diseases and immune-compromised patients who require modification of their dental treatment according to their condition. This study aims to assess the knowledge, confidence, and ability of senior dental students and interns to manage MCP at Taibah University, College of Dentistry, Madinah, Saudi Arabia.
Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted using an online-based self-administrated questionnaire consisting of 26 close-ended questions. It was divided into three sections dealing with demographic data, knowledge, and confidence about the management of MCP.
Results: The study group comprised 82 participants. Most participants were males, 52.4%, and half were senior dental students. Most participants reported that they have sufficient knowledge about the dental management of MCP. Only 45.1% agreed that evaluating risk factors is necessary for MCP and think the patient's postoperative outcome depends on the patient's medical status. However, 50% were less confident in dealing with MCP, while 87.8% may need more training to handle MCP.
Conclusions: The present study revealed a need to enhance confidence and knowledge about managing MCP among dental students and interns. Diagnosing complex cases and choosing a suitable treatment regimen is vital to reducing possible adverse side effects and achieving treatment outcomes. Hence, further training to improve the management of MCP in dental settings is essential

Key words: Awareness; Confidence, Dental students, Medically compromised patients, Knowledge