When a Blessing Becomes a Curse: Understanding the Dangers of Syringe Needle Injury in Endodontics
CE Hours: 1.5
Description: Protocols and standards in root canal treatment should always allow for the ability of the operator to function in context, always practicing within a legal standard of care. The context for endodontists will change as knowledge and technology create new pathways to improve patient outcomes and become tools for communication between stakeholders, including peer professionals and patients. The utilization of needle delivery of anesthetics and medication in dentistry is universal. Unfortunately, improper utilization of needle delivery in dentistry can have serious and injurious outcomes in patient care. This presentation will discuss and consider the untoward events that can occur in the use of needle delivery of solutions and pastes in the practice and delivery of endodontic care.
Learning Objectives:
- Recognize the advantages of imaging technologies in identifying key neurovascular structures and their proximity to the root canal systems of teeth.
- Appreciate the hydraulic outcomes of common syringe methodologies and their potential for injury and mishaps
- Identify safe protocols for avoiding extra-radicular overfill of the root canal space or confined tissues spaces using needle irrigation or paste delivery
Alan Gluskin, D.D.S.
Professor of Endodontics
University of the Pacific
Alan H. Gluskin DDS: graduated from the University of the Pacific School of Dentistry, San Francisco, California in 1972. He received his Endodontic Certification from Temple University in Philadelphia in 1976. Dr. Gluskin is currently Professor, Department of Endodontics, Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry, University of the Pacific in San Francisco, California. He served as Endodontic Depatrment Chair at Pacific for over thirty years. He is at present a Fellow of the International College of Dentists and the American College of Dentists.
Dr. Gluskin is a member of numerous societies including the American Association of Endodontists, the American Dental Association, and the San Francisco Dental Society. He has recently concluded his service to the Board of Directors of the American Association of Endodontists as Past President, and presently functions on the editorial boards of the Journal of Endodontics and the International Journal of Endodontics. Dr. Gluskin is the 2017 recipient of the University of the Pacific’s Eberhardt Teacher-Scholar Award and was awarded the Distinguished Faculty Award in 2023 by the dental school faculty. He is co-editor of the textbooks Decision Making in Dental Treatment Planning and Practical Lessons in Endodontic Treatment.
Disclosure(s): No financial relationships to disclose
