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Incidence and characteristics of medical emergencies related to dental treatment: a retrospective single‐center study
Author(s) -
Obata Kyoichi,
Naito Hiromichi,
Yakushiji Hiromasa,
Obara Takafumi,
Ono Kisho,
Nojima Tsuyoshi,
Tsukahara Kohei,
Yamada Taihei,
Sasaki Akira,
Nakao Atsunori
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
acute medicine and surgery
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2052-8817
DOI - 10.1002/ams2.651
Subject(s) - medicine , incidence (geometry) , emergency department , retrospective cohort study , observational study , emergency medicine , medical emergency , nursing , surgery , physics , optics
Aim Although uncommon, medical emergencies arise in general dental practice. Inadequate data on their severity and frequency makes targeting medical education for general dental practitioners difficult. This also makes planning for unexpected events challenging for practitioners and makes collaborating with emergency physicians burdensome. We aimed to clarify the incidence and characteristics of a dental outpatient department’s medical emergencies. Methods This single‐center, retrospective, observational study was undertaken with patients who visited the dental outpatient department of Okayama University Hospital during the 8‐year period. The primary outcome of the study was to identify the incidence and characteristics of medical emergencies in the dental outpatient department. Then we examined the timing of medical emergencies, administered medications, and final disposition (home/admission). Results During the period, 1,146,929 patients were enrolled. Forty‐two patients (0.0037%) were consulted as medical emergencies. More than 60% of the incidents were vasovagal syncope, and dehydration and hypoglycemia were the second most prevalent at 9.5%. The most common types of dental treatments were tooth extraction (45.2%), followed by general dental treatment (28.6%), and other dental surgery such as implant placement (14.3%). Types of medical emergencies occurred equally before, during, and after dental treatment. Antihypertensive agents, sedatives, or glucose were used. For patients with emergencies, 90.5% recovered during the day and returned home, and 9.5% were hospitalized. Conclusion The incidence of medical emergencies was low in our dental outpatient department. Knowledge of basic management principles, regular education for emergency care, and practicing first aid skills are mandatory for safe patient management.

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