Medical Emergency in Dental Office: A Review

A medical emergency can be stated as an acute injury or illness that poses an immediate risk to a person's life or long-term health. These emergencies may require assistance from another person, who should ideally be suitably qualified to do so, although some of these emergencies such as cardiovascular (heart), respiratory, and gastrointestinal cannot be dealt with by the victim themselves.2 Dependent on the severity of the emergency, and the quality of any treatment given, it may require the involvement of multiple levels of care, from first aiders to Emergency Medical Technicians and emergency physicians. Life threating emergencies can and do occur in the practice of dentistry. They can happen to anyone whether a patient, a doctor, a member of the office staff, or a person who is merely accompanying patient. Although the occurrence of life-threatening emergencies in dental office is infrequent, many factors can increase the likelihood of such incidents. These include (1) the increasing number of older persons seeking dental care, (2) the therapeutic advances in the medical professions, (3) the growing trend toward longer dental appointments, and (4) the increasing use and administration of drugs in dentistry.