Guides emergency dental assessment with triage protocols and immediate management documentation. Use when managing dental emergencies, triaging urgent dental conditions, or documenting emergency dental care.
Guides emergency dental triage, immediate assessment, acute management documentation, and definitive follow-up planning per IADT dental trauma guidelines and ADA emergency care standards.
Dental emergencies — avulsed teeth, uncontrolled post-extraction hemorrhage, Ludwig's angina, dental trauma in children — are time-critical. An avulsed permanent tooth loses viability in direct proportion to extra-alveolar dry time; a fascial space infection can obstruct the airway within hours. This skill enforces a triage-first protocol with time-stamped documentation, ensures life-threatening conditions are identified before dental conditions are addressed, and provides procedure-specific emergency management documentation that satisfies medicolegal requirements for emergency care.
Categorize the emergency to drive the appropriate protocol.
For traumatic dental injuries, follow International Association of Dental Traumatology guidelines.
Assess severity and determine whether outpatient or inpatient management is appropriate.
Address complications from prior dental procedures.
Document multimodal pain management for emergency presentations.
| # | Audit Item | Pass Criteria |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Triage documented | Life-threat screening documented before dental assessment |
| 2 | Time stamps | Onset time, presentation time, and treatment times recorded |
| 3 | Classification assigned | Emergency type categorized per Step 1 categories |
| 4 | Vitals recorded | BP, pulse, temperature recorded for infection and trauma cases |
| 5 | IADT protocol followed | For trauma: storage medium, extra-alveolar time, splint type/duration documented |
| 6 | Infection severity graded | Localized vs. cellulitis vs. fascial space documented with measurements |
| 7 | Pain management documented | Multimodal approach with PDMP check for opioid prescriptions |
| 8 | Follow-up specific | Return date, assessment goals, and ED escalation criteria documented |
| 9 | Informed consent | Emergency consent documented; patient aware of treatment limitations |
| 10 | Definitive plan stated | Emergency management linked to definitive treatment plan |