Tadin Antonija, Aleric Klaudia, Jerkovic Daniel, Gavic Lidia
Department of Restorative Dental Medicine and Endodontics, Study of Dental Medicine, University of Split School of Medicine, 21000 Split, Croatia.
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Clinical Hospital Centre Split, 21000 Split, Croatia.
Healthcare (Basel). 2023 Jul 12;11(14):2006. doi: 10.3390/healthcare11142006.
: To provide safe and effective local anesthesia, dentists must have knowledge of neuroanatomy, anesthesia agents, techniques, equipment, and proper use of local anesthetics. This study aims to explore the knowledge, practices, and confidence regarding local anesthetics and anesthetic techniques in dentistry. : The online cross-sectional questionnaire was conducted via social media, and yielded 441 responses from across the country (69.8% women and 30.2% men; 70.7% general dentists; and 29.3 specialists). The data collected included sociodemographic characteristics, knowledge, and practices pertaining to the usage of local anesthesia. The questionnaire also documents their self-assessed confidence level in applying different local anesthetic techniques and experiences with adverse reactions. The obtained data were processed by description and using a generalized linear model for regression. : The respondents had a median knowledge score of 6 out of a possible 14 points regarding local anesthetics in dental medicine, and their median self-confidence level in the successful application of various techniques of local anesthesia was 54 out of a maximum of 85 points. The results showed that a higher knowledge level was associated with the female gender (OR 1.83, CI 1.13-2.98, = 0.014) and specialization in oral surgery (OR 7.04, CI 1.71-29.07, = 0.007). In contrast, a lack of confidence in using various local anesthetic techniques was also associated with the female gender (OR 0.63, CI 0.41-0.99, = 0.047) and specialization in orthodontics (OR 0.16, CI 0.03-0.88, = 0.035). Of the respondents, 81.4% (n = 371) experienced a local complication, and 42.2% (n = 186) experienced a systemic complication during local anesthesia. The complications experienced cannot be associated with a lack of knowledge or self-confidence ( > 0.05). The majority of respondents (364 of the 441 total-82.5%) expressed interest in receiving further education on the topic of local anesthesia. : The research results show that the dentists involved in the study have poor knowledge of local anesthetics and moderate self-reported confidence levels in using various local anesthetic techniques. Moreover, dentists' self-confidence in applying different techniques of local anesthesia is not related to their knowledge. Therefore, it would be necessary for dentists to undergo a continuing dental education program that enables them to enhance their skills and knowledge in local anesthesia.
为了提供安全有效的局部麻醉，牙医必须掌握神经解剖学、麻醉剂、技术、设备以及局部麻醉剂的正确使用方法。本研究旨在探讨牙科领域中关于局部麻醉剂和麻醉技术的知识、实践情况以及信心水平。
通过社交媒体进行了在线横断面问卷调查，共收到来自全国各地的441份回复（女性占69.8%，男性占30.2%；普通牙医占70.7%，专科医生占29.3%）。收集的数据包括社会人口统计学特征、与局部麻醉使用相关的知识和实践情况。问卷还记录了他们在应用不同局部麻醉技术方面的自我评估信心水平以及不良反应经历。所获得的数据通过描述性统计和使用广义线性模型进行回归分析。
在牙科医学中，受访者关于局部麻醉剂的知识得分中位数在满分14分中为6分，他们在成功应用各种局部麻醉技术方面的自我信心水平中位数在满分85分中为54分。结果表明，较高的知识水平与女性性别相关（比值比1.83，置信区间1.13 - 2.98，P = 0.014）以及口腔外科专科相关（比值比7.04，置信区间1.71 - 29.07，P = 0.007）。相比之下，在使用各种局部麻醉技术方面缺乏信心也与女性性别相关（比值比0.63，置信区间0.41 - 0.99，P = 0.047）以及正畸专科相关（比值比0.16，置信区间0.03 - 0.88，P = 0.035）。在受访者中，81.4%（n = 371）在局部麻醉期间经历了局部并发症，42.2%（n = 186）经历了全身并发症。所经历的并发症与知识缺乏或信心不足无关（P > 0.05）。大多数受访者（441人中的364人 - 82.5%）表示有兴趣接受关于局部麻醉主题的进一步教育。
研究结果表明，参与研究的牙医对局部麻醉剂的知识掌握较差，在使用各种局部麻醉技术方面自我报告的信心水平中等。此外，牙医在应用不同局部麻醉技术方面的信心与他们的知识无关。因此，牙医有必要参加持续牙科教育项目，以提高他们在局部麻醉方面的技能和知识。
