Dental red flag Sepsis
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🦷 Red Flag Sepsis Awareness for Dental Teams
While sepsis is rare in dental practice, it is a life-threatening emergency when it does occur. Early recognition and rapid action can save lives.
🦠What is Sepsis?
Sepsis is the body’s extreme response to infection. Rather than fighting the infection locally, the immune system becomes overactive, triggering widespread inflammation, organ failure, and potentially death.
🪥 Sepsis in Dental Settings
In dental care, sepsis may follow infections such as:
- Dental abscesses
- Post-extraction infections
- Facial cellulitis spreading into deeper tissues
Patients at greater risk include those with:
- Diabetes
- Weakened immune systems
- Undergoing chemotherapy
Always think sepsis if a patient’s infection worsens or they appear generally unwell.
⚠️ Early Warning Signs
Be alert for subtle symptoms such as:
- Fever or low temperature
- Fast breathing or heart rate
- Confusion or drowsiness
- Cold, clammy, or mottled skin
- Lack of urine output
🚨 Red Flag Symptoms – Call 999 Immediately
Sepsis must be suspected and treated as an emergency if a patient with infection has any of the following:
- New confusion or reduced consciousness
- Breathing rate > 25 breaths/min
- Heart rate > 130 bpm
- Systolic BP < 90 mmHg
- Oxygen saturation ≤ 92% on air
- Mottled or non-blanching rash
- No urine for 18+ hours
- Recent chemotherapy or immunocompromised
👶 Red Flag Symptoms in Children
Sepsis can escalate rapidly in children. Watch for:
- Very high or very low temperatures
- Floppiness or irritability
- Rapid or laboured breathing
- Pale, mottled, or blue skin
- Non-blanching rash
- Poor feeding or dry nappies
- Seizures
🦷 Dental-Specific Red Flags
In the dental chair, warning signs include:
- Facial or neck swelling
- Trismus (difficulty opening mouth)
- Difficulty swallowing or drooling
- Trouble speaking or breathing
- Sudden deterioration in the patient’s condition
If you notice any of these symptoms, stop treatment and activate your Immediate Life Support (ILS) response without delay.
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