Dental students' knowledge of and attitudes toward anticoagulation dental treatment: assessment of a one-day course at the University of Murcia, Spain.

The aim of this study was to determine a group of Spanish dental students' knowledge of and attitudes toward anticoagulated patients and clinical practice and to assess the need for additional education in this area. A survey with sections on demographics and knowledge of general coagulation, anticoagulation treatment, clinical practice, local hemostatic measures, and antibiotic prophylaxis was distributed to students before and after a one-day course on oral anticoagulation. The response rate was 67.1 percent (n=96). Of the respondents, 78.1 percent (seventy-five) were women. The students who benefited most from the course were third-year students since they had the lowest level of knowledge at the beginning of the course (p>0.05). Fifth-year students and postgraduates had a good initial level of knowledge (87 percent). This study identified a lack of knowledge among this group of Spanish dental students prior to the course, but participating in the course led to considerable improvement.