Patient Management Review: Current Trends & Advances in Local Anaesthesia; Anxiolytic Drugs & Medical Emergencies

Presented by David Isen, BSc, DDS, FADI, FICD, FPFA

Course Outline

Part I: Local Anaesthesia

Despite the reliability and safety of local anaesthetics, our ability to obtain profound and pain-free anaesthesia 100% of the time is elusive. These situations can create unpleasant dental visits for our patients creating anxiety for not only them but for the operator as well.

The first part of this seminar will explore the reasons and remedies for incomplete local anaesthesia. A discussion of the anatomic and pharmacologic reasons for incomplete anaesthesia will be presented. Techniques beyond the standard inferior alveolar nerve block and standard needle and syringe infiltration will also be evaluated.

Topics:

• Reducing Injection Pain
• Specific Local Anaesthetic Properties
• Toxicity
• Local Anaesthetic Drug Interactions
• The Gow-Gates Block
• The Akinosi Closed Mouth Block
• PDL Injections
• Intraosseous Injections
• New Products (Oraqix, OraVerse to name a few)

Part II: Anxiety Management

It has been estimated that approximately 80% of the population exhibits some degree of dental anxiety. Studies have indicated that 20% of people have severe dental phobia. Because dental anxiety exists in a large number of our patients, it is incumbent upon us to do everything we can to alleviate this anxiety.

This section will explore stress reduction techniques available in dentistry. Oral anxiolytic drugs will be emphasized while nitrous-oxide plus oxygen will be mentioned as well.

Topics:

• Comparing Different Oral Anxiolytic Drugs
• Nitrous-Oxide
• Safe Use of Anxiolytic Drugs In A Dental Office
• Anxiolytics & Pediatric Patients
• Drug Interactions
• Other Methods of Anxiety Reduction

Part III: Medical Emergencies In The Dental Office

As dental practitioners, we and our team must be prepared to effectively treat a medical emergency. Our patients rely on our ability to do so. This however may lead to a difficult predicament because thankfully, dentists encounter medical emergencies infrequently. We therefore may not be proficient in handling emergencies. Without practice and preparedness, it is difficult to recall specific steps involved in a particular emergency.

This section will provide the participants with a logical and clear explanation on how to proceed during various emergencies.

Ways to organize emergency kits, so as to be prepared even months down the road, will be provided. Emergency drugs and their use will also be discussed.

Topics:

• How To Reduce Medical Emergency Incidence
• Measuring Vital Signs
• Emergency Drugs & How To Use Them
• Emergency Algorithms
• Emergency Kit Organization

Educational Objectives:

The educational objectives of this course are to present the three topics: Local Anaesthesia, Anxiety Management and Medical Emergencies, in an interesting and unique way. It is hoped that learning beyond what was taught in dental school, as well as learning about new and advanced drugs and devices, will give the participant current knowledge in these fields. Current research that encompasses these topics will also be highlighted.

It is also the objective of these seminars to provide useful information that can immediately and easily be incorporated into any dental practice.

Finally, the objective of the presentation on anxiety management is to provide information to make appointments for anxious patients safe and more comfortable.

Benefits of Attending:

Courses about local anaesthesia are not usually the first choice by a dentist when continuing dental education is considered. Medical emergency lectures are also not the most popular choice. Certainly dental companies support these topics to a lesser degree.

The benefits of taking these seminars will be that the participant will gain information beyond the basic everyday knowledge that is required to inject local anaesthetics. This will allow for advanced use of this drug and the ability to trouble-shoot in an in-depth way when local anaesthesia is incomplete. Participants may broaden the scope of their knowledge and this will enhance both the safety and effectiveness of local anaesthetic delivery.

As for medical emergencies, the benefits of taking this course will be that the participant will be presented with a simple way to organize medical emergency drugs and kits so that if confronted with an emergency, remembering specific steps, drugs and dosages is not as important. Using the organization of the kit will allow to dentist to follow a stepwise approach to aid the patient.

Course Tuition: CA funds

Dentists     $795.00           Auxiliaries     $225.00

No refund for cancellation with 90 days of travel. This course is suitable for General Practitioners, Specialists, Auxiliaries and Administrative Personnel. No pre-requisite course is meeded in order to attend this course.

ADA CERP is a service of the American Dental Association to assist dental professionals in identifying quality providers of continuing dental education. ADA CERP does not approve or endorse individual courses or instructors, nor does it imply acceptance of credit hours by boards of dentistry.

Kennedy Professional Educational Seminars, Inc. designates this activity for 12 continuing education credits.