The prevention of accidental aspiration or swallowing small instruments during implant treatment

Abstract

The aim for this study was to investigate the risks of patients swallowing small instruments, such as Hexa drivers and healing abutments, during implant placement procedures. Various efforts have been put in place to prevent such accidents and to suggest several effective prevention methods for swallowing-accidents by introducing the prevention efforts that had been put or are waiting to be put. On November 12, 2018, we conducted an online questionnaire survey on 500 dentists, who are currently performing implant surgeries, with the assistance of www.dentphoto.com. In the result, approximately 19.2% of the respondents experienced the risk of their patients swallowing small instruments during implant placement procedures. A total of 79% of the respondents had an actual experience of such accidents. Nevertheless, many of the respondents answered that they were not taking even the easiest precautions for such accidents due to cumbersomeness and annoyingness. The risk of patients swallowing small instruments during implant placement procedures can be most effectively prevented by dentists and staff being aware of the risks of such accidents, and paying close attention to every step of the procedures. Many of the preventive measures that have been introduced so far, are found to be very effective for the prevention of such accidents. The newly-introduced efforts are also expected to be so.