ABSTRACT

Dental procedures are quite challenging which demands absolute care and attention. Negligence can happen at any stage of the procedure. ‘To error is human’. However, following guidelines of standard care for any procedural setup is mandatory. Mistakes happen at every practice; the key is to identify and manage the patient at care. This review of current literature and case reports provides the background knowledge of dental accidents during surgical procedures. Dental accidents can be ingestion or aspiration of foreign body or fire or injury to adjacent tissues of the operating site. Aspiration or ingestion of foreign body, if not treated can result in severe complications, sometimes can be fatal. The majority of surgical fires occur only in head and neck surgery suggesting a greater risk for complications. Soft tissue injuries such as lacerations, cuts from sharp knives or scalpels and nerve injuries from implant placement or during nerve block are the common injuries that can occur during dental procedures. Prevention of these accidents can be best ensured by adhering to standard protocols for every individual procedure, early identification, intimating patients about the accident, management of the undesired complication. Documentation of any mishaps during the procedure would be necessary for future legal complications. Aim of this article was to review the available literature and case reports on dental accidents. Thus, this review might provide a valuable foundation for safety standard clinical procedures, with regard for utmost care of the patient. Keywords: Aspiration, dental accidents, dental fire, oral surgery, mishaps
Publication date: 01/12/2020

https://ijbpas.com/pdf/2020/December/MS_IJBPAS_2020_5360.pdf

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https://doi.org/10.31032/IJBPAS/2020/9.12.5360