Thursday, April 22nd, 2010
You don’t often associate dentists with being emergency responders, at least not beyond urgently fixing a chipped tooth or completing a critical root canal before infection sets in. But dentists can be essential in a number of ways. You might have already heard of their role in identifying the dead by watchng shows like CSI, but in addition to this, dentists can deal with the living and injured as well.
During 9-11 ToothSavers was called out to assist, and around the world, dentists have responded to tsunamis, hurricanes, and unnatural disasters as well. Understanding that dentists can do more than simply inspect your teeth for cavaties can create greater respect for the inudstry; so here are a few things that they do.
1. Help identify victims of fatalities - in emergency situations, dentists can be called in to identify victims (as seen on CSI). Pulling dental records to compare to those who have perished in an emergency is a more important role than you may think. Sure, it helps connect names to those who have lost their lives; but more than that it can help provide closure to families who are unsure of the fate of loved ones following such a situation.
2. Assess the scene - dentists do have some level of medical training and in many cases, they are first on scene in an emergency situation. Particularly when all hands are needed on deck, dentists can help assess living victims and triage them to determine where emergency care is required. Basic first aid can also be applied to those who do not need more serious medical care. The NATO system is what is most commonly used and dentists can help others on scene carry this out.
3. Airway management - dentists have training in airway management and basic CPR, so this can be applied to those who are struggling following an emergency. CPR and airway management can be commonly required and having those trained to deliver it can make a world of difference.
Of course, no one ever wishes that a natural disaster or other emergency on any scale will take place, but the dentists at ToothSavers are proud to be able to say that we can jump in and help when needed.
Image Via: Flickr Creative Commons, Via: DocStoc
Tags: CPR, dental record ID, dental records, dentists and medical care, dentists in an emergecy, natural disasters, terrorism
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