What should a Dentist be prepared to do while waiting for a 911 ambulance?

Medical emergencies occasionally take place in dental offices and can result in a 911 call being placed. What should the dentist do while waiting for an ambulance crew to arrive? The following is a guest post by Jon Bloomberg, EMT and a respected and certified AED/CPR trainer in the New York area who will provide an answer to this question.The short answer is that New York State dentists are required to hold a current AED /CPR card to maintain a their license. The requirements may differ for other states. This implies that Dentists should be able to recognize and respond appropriately to sudden cardiac arrest, heart attack; syncope, choking, stroke and allergic reactions. Other situations may arise but these are the most frequent life-threatening situations that dentists may see in a practice.

It’s not expected that a dentist will be as proficient or knowledgeable as an EMT or ER physician. Dentists should act within the guidelines and treatments that they feel comfortable with and for which they have been trained. However, repeated group and staff training will facilitate a proper and effective response by the team.

Although New York State regulations do not require everyone in a dental office to be trained, it is a good idea for all staff members to receive training. In my experience the easiest ways to accomplish this training is to have it done in the office. Accordingly, for the past four years, I have been providing training for dentists at their convenience in their own offices. I find that when the group is cohesive (namely an office) that people learn better and are more likely to retain the learning. It is my hope that when people learn as a team that they will be better prepared to handle a medical emergency as a team.