Triage and initial evaluation of the oral facial emergency

Essentially, emergency medicine encompasses the efficient application of limited resources to provide timely care to patients in health crisis. The appropriate triage, management, and disposition of patients with orofacial complaints requires systematic evaluation with attention to the ABCs. The first priority is to secure the airway. Once such a patient has been stabilized, a thorough examination, with documentation of the oropharyngeal and facial examination, should be conducted. Unfortunately, many conditions seen initially in the ED through patient self-referral ultimately require specialist care. Therefore, emergency physicians must temporarily provide pain relief and begin initial treatment of traumatic, infectious, or inflammatory conditions that await more definitive intervention. The emergency physician should consider it his or her role to exclude life threats, prevent complications, provide patient comfort, and ensure adequate and timely follow-up care.