First-aid knowledge among undergraduate and specialist dental students in Turkey: a cross-sectional study

Dental professionals frequently treat patients with systemic conditions, and medical emergencies can occur during dental procedures, circumstances that underscore the importance of first-aid competence in dental training. In this study, specialist dental students refers to postgraduate students enrolled in accredited dental specialty programmes (e.g., orthodontics, endodontics, periodontics). This cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate and compare first-aid knowledge levels among pre-clinical (years 1-3), clinical (years 4-5), and specialist dental students enrolled in Turkish dental faculties, and to assess whether the proportion reporting formal first-aid training differed across these groups.

Data were collected using a validated 23-item questionnaire (Cronbach's α = 0.87) distributed via Google Forms (Google, Mountain View, CA, USA) across Turkish dental faculties in October 2023. A total of 1,093 students participated. Group comparisons were performed with Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U tests; the Chi-square test was used for categorical variables. Binary logistic regression identified independent predictors of adequate knowledge. Effect sizes were calculated using eta-squared (η²) and r.

A statistically significant difference in first-aid knowledge was identified across the three groups (p < 0.001). Adequate knowledge was demonstrated by 82.1% of specialist students, 61.8% of clinical students, and 41.7% of pre-clinical students. Overall, 35.5% of participants reported prior formal first-aid training, with the proportion differing significantly across groups (p < 0.001). Logistic regression identified training stage (specialist vs. pre-clinical: OR 5.39, 95% CI 3.32-8.77; clinical vs. pre-clinical: OR 2.15, 95% CI 1.61-2.85) and prior first-aid training (OR 1.40, 95% CI 1.06-1.84) as independent predictors. Sex was not significant (p = 0.175).

First-aid knowledge in dental students is more closely tied to progression through training stages than to sex, yet the persistence of knowledge gaps among specialist students indicates that clinical seniority alone does not guarantee first-aid competence. These findings support treating first-aid proficiency as an outcome to be deliberately verified at successive stages of dental training rather than assumed to accrue with experience.