Preparing for medical emergencies: the essential drugs and equipment for the dental office.

BACKGROUND: Acute medical emergencies can and do occur in the dental office. Preparing for them begins with a team approach by the dentist and staff members who have up-to-date certification in basic life support for health care providers. The ability to react immediately to the emergency at hand, including telephoning for help and having the equipment and drugs needed to respond to an emergency, can mean the difference between successful management and failure. Overview. The purpose of this article is to provide a vision of the training, basic and critical drugs, and equipment necessary for staff members in general dental offices to manage the most common and anticipated medical emergencies. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Completion of annual continuing education courses and office medical emergency drills ensure a rapid response to emergency situations. It is the combination of a knowledgeable and skilled dental team with the equipment for basic airway rescue and oxygenation, monitoring equipment, an automated external defibrillator and a basic drug emergency kit that make the dental office a safer environment for patients and enhance dental professionals' capability to render competent and timely aid.