• P Coulthard, C M Bridgman, A Larkin, and H V Worthington.
• Manchester University Dental Hospital.
• Br Dent J. 2000 May 13;188(9):507-12.

ObjectivesTo investigate whether a standard Resuscitation Council (UK) ALS course is appropriate for primary care dentists or whether a course should be specifically designed for dentists.DesignOpinions canvassed by pre-course expectation and post-course evaluation questionnaires.Subjects23 West Pennine primary care dentists providing a general anaesthetic or conscious sedation service who attended an ALS course.ResultsKnowledge and skills were rated on a 5-point scale from 1 (not important at all) to 5 (extremely important). Basic airway management (mean = 5) and anaphylaxis (mean = 4.9) scored the highest on the 'expectation' questionnaire. Rhythm recognition (P < 0.001), defibrillation (P = 0.007) and arrest algorithms (P = 0.047) were rated as significantly more important after the course than before. Knowledge about rhythm disorder management, cardiac pacing, post-resuscitation care, blood gas interpretation and bereavement were not considered to be so important either before or after the course.ConclusionsDespite rating some aspects as unimportant, all dentists stated that this course had been appropriate. They did not want a specially designed ALS course for dentistry. Taking exactly the same recognised course and assessments as other healthcare professionals and gaining the same certification was felt to be important to this group of dentists.

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