Knowledge of Dentistry Students about Local Anesthetic Systemic Toxicity and Intravenous Lipid Rescue Therapy: A Cross-Sectional Questionnaire-Based Study

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the level of consciousness of local anesthetic systemic toxicity (LAST) among dentistry students, which would provide helpful information for scheduling the educational content of future syllabus be-fore graduation to prepare students for possible challenges in the future.Methods: This study included 234 dentistry students, who were in the 3rd, 4th, and 5th degrees during the period 01 December 2018–01 April 2019, and was conducted using a cross-sectional, questionnaire-based design. The revised questionnaire form includes questions addressing the frequency of encountered LAST cases, signs of LAST they had seen, and treatments for LAST, particularly lipid treatment, they had used.Results: The questionnaire was sent to 234 dentistry students in the 3rd, 4th, and 5th degrees at the Faculty of Dentistry, Gaziantep University, Gaziantep, Turkey, of whom 215 (91.88%) responded. The majority of participants (93%, n=200) de-clared that they received training about local anesthetics (LAs). Only one LA agent was preferred among 38.60% (n=83) of participants, whereas other participants preferred multiple agents. A significant majority of the participants (79.5%; n=171) declared that they did not observe LAST before this study, whereas only 15 (7%) students mentioned that they had encoun-tered LAST but used an alternative therapy rather than intravenous lipid rescue therapy. None of the students personally applied lipid rescue therapy.Conclusion: The results of this study implicate the evident need for additional educational effort to create awareness about LA use and effective management of LAST among dentistry students.