Management of Medical Emergencies in the Dental Practice: Understanding Medical Emergencies in the Dental Office

Life-threatening emergencies can and do occur in the practice of dentistry. They can happen to anyone: a patient, a doctor, a member of the office staff, or a person who is merely accompanying a patient. Although the occurrence of life-threatening emergencies in dental offices is infrequent, many factors can increase the likelihood of such incidents. These include a pretreatment physical evaluation of each patient, consisting of a medical history questionnaire, dialogue history, and physical examination, and possible modifications in dental care to minimize medical risks.