A Contemporary Mini-Review of Interprofessional Education and Technology-Assisted Management of Dental Emergencies in the Emergency Department.

Abstract

<h4>Background</h4>Dental emergencies are increasing in frequency. Numerous studies have reported minimal knowledge and/or skills by emergency department staff regarding dental emergencies. The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted a paradigm shift in emergency dental care management away from traditional management approaches. However, there have been no reviews of contemporary literature pertaining to either technology-assisted or interprofessional education and dental emergency management in the emergency department setting. This mini-review aimed to synthesise current evidence of interprofessional education, utilising technology-assisted modalities, for the management of dental emergencies in hospital emergency departments.<h4>Methods</h4>A comprehensive search was carried out across four electronic databases, Medline, Embase, CINAHL, and Google Scholar from 2018 to 2025.<h4>Results</h4>A total of three papers were identified and included in the mini-review. Two of the three papers addressed the subject of dental emergencies in the emergency department as a primary finding.<h4>Discussion</h4>Included papers were of low-quality evidence and referenced simulation-based education, tele-dentistry, and artificial intelligence as contemporary approaches relating to dental emergency management.<h4>Conclusions</h4>This mini-review revealed minimal advances in contemporary approaches relating to both the use of technology-assisted modalities and interprofessional education for the management of dental emergencies within the hospital emergency department setting. This review provides a timely literature update for both the medical and dental professions and identifies a large gap in research surrounding this topic.