Knowledge and Awareness about Ketamine as Anaesthetic among Dental Students - A Survey
Debarun David
Saveetha Dental College, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Saveetha University, Chennai, India.
Dhanraj Ganapathy *
Department of Prosthodontics, Saveetha Dental College, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Saveetha University, Chennai, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Ketamine has been used as a safe and effective sedative to treat adults and children exhibiting high levels of anxiety or fear during dental treatment. Pediatric dentistry often involves patients with high levels of anxiety and fear and possibly a few positive dental experiences. Patient management can involve behavioral approaches, as well as the use of sedation or general anesthesia with a variety of agents, including ketamine. The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge and awareness of ketamine as an anesthetic among dental students. A questionnaire survey was carried out online containing 10 questions that were sent to 100 dental students through survey planet software and the data was collected and statistically analysed. 74% of the students were aware about the uses and adverse effects of ketamine .Within the limits of this study, it may be concluded that most of the students were aware of ketamine as an anesthetic.
Keywords: Anesthesia, drug, ketamine, dental