Dental Emergency Kit – Contents, Medicines and Use

Dental Emergency Medical Kit is a must-have in every Dental Clinic or Dental Hospital to provide Emergency Dental Care for patients who come to you with either a Dental emergency or unfortunately require emergency medical assistance or care while undergoing any Dental procedure in your Dental Clinic. Every Dentist and even the Assistants and Dental Hygienist in the Clinic or Hospital must be updated and taught the use of Dental Office Emergency Protocol which can be sometimes a matter of Life or death for patients.

• ABCD of Emergency Resuscitation in Dental Emergency

In every Dental clinic, we see different types of patients and some of them prefer to avoid letting us know about their underlying medical conditions or some do not know that they have certain conditions (Ex. Bleeding disorders like Hemophilia etc) which can turn into a complicated condition if it is not identified beforehand. In such cases, it is important to have an Emergency Medical kit for Dental Office which can be used immediately to provide the patient with Emergency Dental Care in case of any unforeseen Emergency. There are courses being conducted by the respective Dental Associations which you are registered with giving you an insight of what should be done in case of an Emergency known as Dental Office Emergency Protocol – This gives you knowledge about how to manage various medical conditions which we can face on the dental chair.

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List of Medicines in a Dental Emergency Kit:

These are the list of Medicines and equipment which are required in any Dental Emergency Kit in case of any Medical Emergency in Dental Clinic. Along with these medicines, it is important for the Staff in Dental Clinic to know CPR or Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation to help in reviving or aiding any patient suffering from Cardiovascular Emergency in your Dental Clinic.

1. Oxygen Can (Portable 5L): To provide Oxygen to patients who are having difficulty in breathing which can be caused due to various reasons on the dental chair like allergy, underlying heart conditions etc.
2. Oxygen Mask: To help in supplying Oxygen to the patient
3. BP Apparatus (Digital or Manual): This is useful to keep track of the patient’s Blood Pressure either Low or High and to determine the treatment protocol.
4. Stethoscope: To check heart rate and helps in checking Blood Pressure
5. Glucometer with Strips: To check Blood Sugar, some patients with low blood sugar can end up in a coma if not attended to immediately. Low Blood sugar can be caused due to many reasons like loss of blood, fasting patient, stress etc.
6. Pulse Oximeter: To keep track of the Pulse of the patient in case of a Dental Emergency
7. AMBU Bag: It is called as Artificial Manual Breathing Unit which helps in helping the patient to breathe properly by pumping air into the lungs forcefully using the AMBU bag. This is used as a part of CPR or Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation.
8. Inj. Adrenaline/Epinephrine: Used to help in cases of severe Low Blood pressure as it helps in increasing the heart rate and counter Low Blood pressure. Its other uses are severe itching or hives due to any allergic reaction can be treated. .
9. Inj. Atropine: This is used to control or decrease heart rate in patients with High BP or in patients who have hypersalivation as it decreases the production of Saliva and hence prevents Aspiration of Saliva in any Dental Emergency.
10. Inj. Avil: It contains pheniramine maleate which is used to treat any allergic conditions caused due to dental materials used during the dental treatment procedure.
11. Tab Avil: Same as above
12. Inj. Valium 2mg or 5mg: Diazepam is the composition which is known for treating Anxiety and also as a short-term treatment option for sezures.
13. Inj. Hydrocortisone: It is also used to treat any Allergic conditions which might lead to Dental Emergencies. It helps in reducing Inflammation to replace the function of corticosteroids in the body.
14. Tab. Prednisolone 5mg: Used to counter any Auto Immune conditions which lead to inflammation. It is used mainly as an Immunosuppressant or anti-inflammatory medicine.
15. Inj. Phenytoin: It is an Anti-epileptic drug which is used to treat or prevent seizures. It must be given before starting any treatment procedure in patients with history of Seizures or in case of seizures during any dental procedure. It helps in controlling the seizures and also prevents them.
16. Inj. Deriphyllin 2ml: Used as an Emergency drug in case of Asthma or COPD. It should be administered in case the patient faces an Asthma attack during any Dental procedure.
17. Salbutamol Inhaler: In case of Asthma attack
18. Tab. Sorbitrate: It is a nitrate drug which helps in widening blood vessels and relaxing the vessels to help in increasing the flow of blood to the heart. It is given in patients complaining of chest pain – Angina or patients who have a history of Coronary heart disease etc. This helps in increasing the flow of blood to the heart muscles and prevents a heart attack.
19. Tab. Asprin 75mg: This is used in patients who have a history of heart disease – angina, stroke, heart attack etc due to its antiplatelet effect. It has to be remembered that this drug delays formation of a clot and lead to increased bleeding in case of any surgical treatment in patients.
20. I/V fluid D25 100ml
21. I/V set 
22. I/V Cannula 
23. Scalp Vein set
24. Disposable Syringe – 2ml, 5ml, and 10ml
25. GelFoam Dental Sponge: Useful in packing the Extraction socket in patients with High BP on Antiplatelet drugs, this helps in controlling bleeding and aids in the formation of Blood Clot faster
26. Glucose Powder: To replace or provide immediate energy and increase Blood Glucose levels in patients suffering from Low Sugar
27. Electrol: Helps in replacing Salts in cases of Low BP
28. Drug Expiry Chart: To keep a check on the expiry dates of all the medicines in the Kit and to replace them when necessary.

These are the contents of Dental Emergency Kit which is a must to follow Dental Office Emergency Protocol in case of any Dental Emergency faced in the Dental Clinic during or after any Dental Procedure. A Dentist has to be ready and prepared to face any condition and provide the patient with Emergency Dental Care. In case of an Emergency Medical Condition, every Dentist and staff at the dental office must be well prepared to provide First Aid for Dental Emergency which can prove to be the matter of Life and death before the patient is shifted to a Hospital or ER.

If you have not faced any Medical Emergencies in you Dental Office till date does not mean that you will not be encountering any in the future, so it is compulsory to have the knowledge and make sure that you keep your self-updated and your Staff about Dental Emergencies.