DEN 165 Dental Office Emergency Management

Lecture Hours: 2
Credits: 2

Emphasizes prevention and treatment of the most common medical emergencies in the dental office. Covers the preparation of the office and staff to deal with these emergencies, including gathering patient information, such as a health history and vital signs. Discusses the use of emergency equipment and supplies. Emphasizes use of dental anesthesia and pharmacology and their role in medical emergency situations.

Prerequisite: Enrollment in the Dental Assisting Program.
Student Learning Outcomes:

Recognize the importance of office and staff preparation in order to prevent the occurrence of medical emergencies. (Cognitive: Recognize)
Identify those groups of patients more likely to have medical emergencies. (Cognitive: Identify)
Examine the importance of obtaining a thorough patient health history and accurate vital signs prior to dental treatment. (Analysis: Examine)
Demonstrate proficiency in obtaining vital signs, including blood pressure, pulse rate, respiratory rate, and temperature. (Psychomotor: Demonstrate)
Discern the duties of different office personnel in an emergency. (Analysis: Discern)
Identify the types of emergency equipment, drugs, and other supplies that should be present in the dental office. (Cognitive: Identify)
Distinguish between the treatments of various emergency-related conditions such as loss of consciousness, respiratory distress, chest pain, allergic/drug reactions, neurological and psychological conditions. (Analysis: Distinguish)
Examine the legal ramifications of providing emergency care. (Analysis: Examine)
Identify the concepts of anesthesiology and pharmacology as they pertain to dentistry. (Comprehension: Knowledge)

Content Outline

Office Preparation
- Equipment assessment
- Staff training
- Emergency kit preparation
Patent Assessment
- Health history
- Vital signs
Dental Office Medical Emergencies
- Basic plan for patient stabilization
  - Patient positioning
  - Airway, breathing, circulation
  - Patient monitoring and re-evaluation
  - Activation of emergency management system
- Loss of consciousness
  - Syncope
  - Postural hypotension
  - Hypoglycemia
Respiratory distress
- Hyperventilation
- Asthmatic attack
- Airway obstruction
- Chest pain
  - Angina pectoris
  - Acute myocardial infarction
- Allergic/drug reactions
  - Urticaria or pruritus
  - Anaphylactic shock
  - Epinephrine reaction
  - Drug overdose
- Altered sensations
  - Stroke
  - Seizure disorders
  - Panic attack
- Legal ramifications
Anesthesia
- Key terms
- Local anesthetic
  - Methods of admission
  - Block or infiltration
  - Injection sites
- Properties of solutions
- Dental assistant’s role
- Possible interactions leading to emergencies
Pharmacology
- Sources of information
- Classification of drugs
- Drug interactions and emergencies
- Administration of drugs
  - General considerations
  - Methods
  - Dental assistant’s role
  - Recording medication and patient’s reactions
- Prescriptions
  - Forms
  - Purpose
  - Legal aspects