Medical Emergencies in the Dental Office
About this Seminar
Medical emergencies are rare in dental offices since dental treatment is generally safe. However, at times, the unexpected occurs. Emergencies do happen in dental offices and so, it is incumbent on practitioners to be prepared for these potential events. Our patients rely on this. Because dentists and their teams are not practiced in medical emergency protocols, and these events are infrequent, remembering the correct steps to take is difficult.
This lecture is broken down into three sections. In the first, we will look at medical history questionnaires and vital sign assessment. This will give the participant an understanding of how to predict which of our patients are medically risky to treat and how to minimize those risks.
The second part of this talk will present current basic life support protocols and how to incorporate these protocols into a dental office team environment. The use of an AED will also be highlighted. A method to organize our thinking during an emergency (P-CAB-D) will be presented.
And finally, specific emergency protocol response will be presented. Syncope, asthma, angina, myocardial infarction, cardiac arrest, allergy / anaphylaxis will be highlighted. Algorithms and correct emergency drug use will be discussed.
Presenters
About Dr. David Isen
David’s dental clinic in Toronto, Sleep for Dentistry, is anesthesia-based, treating patients who require intravenous sedation or advanced techniques in local anaesthesia. Many of these people have special medical needs or are dental phobic.
David has given over 400 presentations around the world on topics related to the management of medical emergencies in healthcare settings, local anesthesia for dentistry and the use of sedation in dentistry. He has lectured for many universities continuing education programs, dental societies, and conventions.
He is the author of numerous articles, has peer-reviewed papers for a variety of dental journals and as well has acted as a consultant and product evaluator for dental and pharmaceutical companies.