Medical emergencies in dentistry: implicaciones éticas y legales para el cirujano dental

Abstract

The dental surgeon in his daily work intimately connected with the risk of a medical emergency occurring in his office. Even though they are not common, these emergencies can happen in a dental environment. They can affect any individual, before, during or after the dental intervention. In this way, in addition to the health concerns of his patients, he dental surgeon also exposed to the legal implications that these emergencies generate for the professional, having to hold all responsibility he has towards the patient, in the sense of promoting health, and in the legal sense. The dental surgeon must prepared for any events that may happen in his work environment. An evaluation of the general health of their patients, adoption of preventive and legal measures, gives greater security in the care, as well as the ethical and legal implications that submitted to dentists. Through bibliographic research, we seek to alert and guide the dental surgeon about the main emergencies that may occur in the dental office. We will present the signs and symptoms of the major medical emergencies and the forms of treatment or the first care that should taken to maintain the life of the patient. Most of the studies point to an increase in the number of medical emergencies, associated with a great uncertainty among dentists in facing these emergencies.