Guidelines for Dental Office Emergency Medical Readiness
By Dr. Don Cohen
When a life-threatening emergency happens at a dental practice, staff must be prepared with the necessary medications and appropriate training to quickly respond. Learn what standards and guidelines determine the emergency medical kit and supplies most appropriate for your dental office and which medications are necessary for basic emergency response.
When determining what belongs in a dental emergency medical kit, dental anesthesiologist and medical emergency expert Dr. Stanley Malamed recommends asking three questions:
• Based on my emergency response training certification level, what do I need to offer the highest level of medical emergency care possible?
• How do I pass an inspection (for example, by a state dental board or an insurance provider)?
• How do I protect myself in a lawsuit?
Standard of Care for Dental Emergency Medical Kits
Medical emergency preparedness guidelines are based on the concept of “standard of care” which is the general consensus of professional groups including the American Dental Association, Journal of the American Dental Association (JADA), American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS), and dentistry thought leaders such as Dr. Malamed. Standard of care represents the professional expectation of dental office medical emergency preparedness based on practice type, patient profile, location, and emergency response training.
State Dentistry Board Regulations
Dental practices are licensed and governed by individual state dentistry boards and not the federal government. State standards often, but not always, specify required equipment, medications, and training primarily based on the level of sedation the dentist uses. Some states treat guidelines such as the ADA Guidelines for Use of Sedation and General Anesthesia or the AAOMS Office Anesthesia Evaluation Manual as absolute requirements that must be met in order for the dentist to be issued a sedation permit.