Skills in cardiopulmonary resuscitation: a survey of dental practitioners.

Emergency preparedness questionnaires were mailed to 4,905 dentists in Florida and 1,600 dentists in Kentucky. A total of 1,605 questionnaires were returned. Of the respondents, 52% reported being certified currently as providers of cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Dentists reported that they used their skills in cardiopulmonary resuscitation more than 900 times during a 10-year period. More than a third of the life-threatening situations occurred in dental offices.

The patient's health history form: how healthy is it?

An aging population, a more medically complex patient base and concerns about infectious diseases have complicated dentistry in the past decade--making a thorough health history more important than ever. A survey comparing dental university health history forms with those used by some general practitioners is presented.

Emergency preparedness: a survey of dental practitioners.

A total of 6,505 questionnaires were mailed to practicing dentists in Florida and Kentucky. The dentists represented all dental specialties and had been graduated from 72 different dental schools. The results of the survey indicate that improvement is needed in training, office organization, and advanced preparation for the emergency management of patients. The results also indicate that dentists encounter many medical emergencies in their offices.

Computer-based management of a clinical teaching program.

A management system is described that uses a computer to assist in the matching of patients and dental students, the monitoring of patient care, and the tracking of student clinical progress in a teaching environment that emphasizes the comprehensive patient care approach.

Automatic and semiautomatic external defibrillator/pacers: futuristic emergency devices.

Automatic and semiautomatic defibrillator/pacers are new devices that combine many of the functions of an ECG unit, an external pacemaker, and a defibrillator into one unit with a built-in logic system. These devices are well researched and are gaining acceptance by the American Heart Association, emergency room physicians, and others concerned with emergency treatment of cardiac arrest, fibrillation, and potentially fatal dysrhythmias. These instruments are dependable, easy to use, and may in the future have a potential value for some dental practitioners who treat high risk cardiac patients or those using deep sedation and general anesthesia.

Evaluation of a prototype CPR assist-tool.

A CPR provider is often called upon to expand considerable physical energy to deliver external cardiac compressions. This research evaluates and compares the performance of recently certified basic rescuers on a mannequin using the standard method of CPR, and the performance with an adjunctive CPR assist-tool. Use of the tool significantly increased the overall quality of individual performances by reducing the frequency of inadequate compressions and increasing the time of acceptable performance. Other common errors were not significantly affected.

Evaluation of health history forms used in U.S. dental schools.

Ideally the health history form should ensure safe care to the patient, support the dentist legally, and ensure a satisfactory treatment outcome. Health history forms from 47 dental schools were evaluated in light of curriculum guidelines for physical evaluation and for their helpfulness to the dentist to provide safe care, to support the dentist legally, and to provide satisfactory treatment outcomes for the patient. In spite of curriculum guidelines in physical evaluation, significant differences were found among the health histories used by dental schools. Recommendations are made to improve the content and format of the health history forms used in dental schools with a corresponding impact on the private dental practitioner.