According to the World Health Organization, heart disease is the world's largest killer claiming 17.5 million lives every year. Every 29 seconds, an Indian dies of heart problem. It is important that every member of our community including dental practitioners be trained in high-quality cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) as it is a basic medical skill, which can save many lives if implemented timely.

The aim of the study was to determine basic life support (BLS) knowledge, awareness, and attitude among clinical dental students (III and IV year students), interns, and postgraduate students in the dental colleges of Davangere city, Karnataka, India.

A cross-sectional study was conducted by using a close-ended, validated questionnaire comprising 17 questions pertaining to demographic details, knowledge, awareness, and attitude toward BLS among clinical dental students in Davangere city. Descriptive, chi-squared test and Logistic regression were used to analyze the data using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 20.

After excluding the incomplete response forms, the data were analyzed for 495 responders with a response rate of 96.6%. In the present study, only 23.2% of the responders answered that the rate of chest compression is 100/minute in adults and children and 62.2% of the students were not aware of Heimlich maneuver. About 68.5% students had not attended previous BLS workshops.

The present study highlights that the overall knowledge, awareness, and attitude among dental students regarding BLS is not satisfactory in Davangere. This study emphasizes the fact that undergraduate course in dentistry must be regularly updated on the knowledge and skills regarding BLS along with practical courses.

Bindu AS, Sushanth VH, Kumar PGN, Prashant GM, Imranulla M. Basic Life Support Knowledge, Awareness, and Attitude among Dental Students in Davangere City, Karnataka, India: A Cross-sectional Study. J Oral Health Comm Dent 2017;11(2):23-28.