Monitoring of vital signs during dental care

Advances in medicine have greatly increased the survival of patients with severe health problems and have significantly prolonged life in elderly individuals with systemic disorders. Concomitant advances in dentistry and evolving societal expectations regarding dental health and function have likewise ensured that these patients are increasingly retaining their teeth and/or seeking dental care. The administration of local anaesthetics and the performance of extensive dental procedures may cause stress and systemic disturbances in such patients. In order to avoid potentially serious reactions, dentists are obligated to monitor continuously their medically challenged patients. Monitoring provides three important benefits. First, it helps the dentist detect acute medical emergencies that may require an immediate response. Second, monitoring may reveal gradual deleterious trends that can often be easily reversed before a true emergency occurs. Third, monitoring can assist the dentist in evaluating the efficacy of any emergency treatments or preventive measures that are rendered. The purposes of this article are to: briefly review monitoring techniques and devices, discuss their suitability for use in the dental office, and provide some tips for their application during dental care. In overall decreasing order of routine importance, monitoring resources include the following: responsible personnel, non-invasive blood pressure monitor, pulse oximeter, ECG, and the pretracheal stethoscope or capnograph.