The Crucial Role of Dentists in Emergency Accident Care

Abstract

This short essay outlines the critical roles that dentists play in emergency accident care involving teeth or jaw injuries. Many people are unaware of the immediate dental care necessary for traumatic scenarios involving vehicular collisions or sports accidents, but this lack of awareness can have dire consequences. There is an established standard for immediate care of other injuries, such as stabilization and direct transportation to the hospital, but dental care is often neglected. This is despite the fact that immediate dental intervention can change the prognosis of the injury and prevent complications (Woon Ha et al., 2015). The basic knowledge of general accident care involving teeth or jaw injuries is limited; thus, the professional dentist’s view on emergency care is elaborated upon.

Accidents can often result in injuries in many regions of the body, either internally or externally. Traumas to the head can prove to be more fatal than injuries to other body parts due to the possibility of brain damage. However, despite the probability of head traumas, dentists are rarely called in as the first professionals consulted following an accident. This is despite the fact that teeth and jaw injuries are one of the most common occurrences in vehicle-associated accidents (Chrishantha Joybell et al., 2019). The reasons a dentist may be overlooked as care first providers are mostly due to the unawareness of the public. Unlike other traumatic accidents such as limb fractures or excessive bleeding that imply a direct need for care, jaw injuries may be more ambiguous, as it does not immediately pose a threat to one’s life.