Journal of Dental Anesthesia and Pain Medicine  2015;15(1):17-23

doi:10.17245/jdapm.2015.15.1.17

Protective dental splint for oroendotracheal intubation: experience of 202 cases.

Kang Hee LEE 1 ; Tae Min YOU ; Wonse PARK ; Sun Hwa LEE ; Bock Young JUNG ; Nan Sim PANG ; Kee Deog KIM

Affiliations

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Keywords

Dental trauma; General anesthesia; Intubation; Prevention

Country

Republic of Korea

Language

English

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Dental injury as a result of oroendotracheal intubation during general anesthesia is very common. We report our experiences of using mouthguard to prevent dental injury during intubation based on our protocol. METHODS: This retrospective study enrolled patients referred for preanesthetic evaluation, those patients with a history of any of the dental treatments to their anterior teeth listed on our fabrication protocol from January 1, 2009 to June 30, 2010. RESULTS: No cases of dental trauma during oroendotracheal intubation were reported among the 202 patients who used a protective device. 66% of the patients had risk factors for hard tissue damage aged 10-40 years. At the ages of 40-70 years, the incidence of risk group for periodontal damage was higher. CONCLUSIONS: Preanesthetic consultation was effective for preventing dental injury, so preanesthetic questionnaire and proper dental consultation would be helpful.