The ‘Prescribing in Dental Practice’ section of the British National Formulary [1] lists the following medical emergencies which may arise in dental practice.
- Adrenal insufficiency
- Anaphylaxis
- Asthma
- Cardiac emergencies
- Epileptic seizures
- Hypoglycaemia
- Syncope (faint)
Additional medical emergencies which may be encountered include aspiration, choking and stroke [2].
Brief details of how to manage medical emergencies in dental practice are provided in the SDCEP Drug Prescribing For Dentistry guidance [2]. The Resuscitation Council (UK) [3] has published guidance on quality standards for the aspects of cardiopulmonary resuscitation practice and training relevant to primary dental care. More-detailed information about how to recognise and treat other medical emergencies in dental practice is provided in the Prescribing in Dental Practice section of the British National Formulary [1].
In 2024 the Scottish Government published Emergency Drugs and Equipment in Primary Dental Care [4], an update to the National Dental Advisory Committee's 2015 publication. A Medical Emergencies in the Dental Practice poster (PDF) developed by Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust summarises the symptoms and management of medical emergencies. A Medical Emergencies Revision video has been developed by NHS Education for Scotland detailing emergency equipment and drugs and their use when dealing with medical emergencies in the dental practice.
Sources of information
- Medical Emergencies in Dental Practice. British National Formulary
- Drug Prescribing for Dentistry. Scottish Dental Clinical Effectiveness Programme
- Quality Standards: Primary dental care. (last update May 2020) Resuscitation Council (UK)
- Emergency drugs and equipment in primary dental care. (2024) Scottish Government