Medical emergencies in dental practice in the Fiji Islands

Medical emergencies in dental clinics are atypical however they do occur with potentially serious consequences. A postal questionnaire survey of all seventy-seven dentists in Fiji regarding occurrence of medical emergencies, their possession of emergency drugs and equipment and whether further training was required in the management of medical emergencies was conducted in 2004. The response rate was 85.7%. The most common medical emergencies were fainting (27.9%), postural hypotension (23.5%), hypoglycaemia (19.5%), epileptic fits and seizures (11.1%) and asthma (8%). The most commonly kept emergency drugs and equipment were disposable needles, oral glucose, disposable syringes, sphygmomanometer adrenaline, first aid kit, tourniquet and oxygen. Additionally, the vast majority of the dentists (98.5%) expressed a need for some form of further training or refresher course in this area. It is hoped that the respective stakeholders in Fiji islands and that it forms baseline information and guidelines in addition to stimulating future prospective studies.