The Human Dentition

You will experience two sets of teeth throughout your life. The baby or deciduous teeth, also known as the baby teeth, begin to erupt in the first year of your life. They are replaced by permanent teeth as you get older. There are 20 deciduous tooth, with 10 at the top and 10 at the bottom. Your permanent teeth will erupt as the baby teeth are pushed out of your jaws. This is how deciduous teeth become loose. There are 32 permanent teeth: 16 at the top and 16 at the bottom. Teeth are among the most durable substances in the body. However, they can still be broken.

Many classification systems have been developed to categorize dental trauma. According to McDonald's (2004) classification, the basic elements include:1

Class 1 - A simple fracture of the crown that involves little or no dentin

Class 2 - A severe fracture of the crown that involves a lot of dentin, but not the dental pulp

Class 3 - Extensive crown fracture with exposure of the dental pulp

Class 4 - The complete crown is lost

The classifications are not important to rescuers in the field. However, the amount and severity of tooth loss can have serious consequences for airway management. There are several dangers that can be posed by broken or loose teeth. These include:

Failure to seal the mask on the patient's head

Airway obstructions can be caused by tooth and bone fragments

Aspiration to blood

Intubation difficulty or inability

Suction: What is its role?

Continuous suction may be necessary in extreme cases of dental trauma. This will allow the patient to maintain airway integrity and oxygenation. These are the benefits of effective suction:

Eliminating bodily fluids

Preventing active bleeding in the trachea

Tissue and teeth are removed from traumatized airways

Hypoxia prevention and air movement

Preventing the aspiration blood and saliva

Get Ready

You must prepare your equipment before you can treat a patient suffering from dental trauma. Equipment prep includes:

Make sure your portable dental suction unit works at every shift.

Turn the unit on to check the batteries

For long-term suctioning, have extra batteries on hand and replace any that are worn out.

Make sure the unit is clean

All accessories, including canisters, tubing and catheters, must be in place

The right-sized catheter is important - think large bore!

In case of clogs, having backup catheters readily available

Prepare your patient once your equipment is in place. Your approach will depend on the extent of the dental trauma. The following are the steps to prepare for your appointment:

Before you start suctioning, make sure to preoxygenate your patient.

Protecting against hypoxia while continuously suctioning--assess 02 saturation at every time

Blind suctioning should be avoided as this can cause broken or loose teeth to enter the back of your pharynx.

Use gentle suction to reduce trauma.

Patients with trauma are always difficult. When trauma involves the dentition it can pose a significant threat of obstruction to the airways. The patient's needs and severity of the injuries, as well as the number of affected teeth, must be considered when treating them. The portable suction machine can play an important role in managing patients suffering from dental trauma (Portable Dental Units).