Basic Airway Management Course for Dentists 2026

Basic Airway Management Course for Dentists is organized by University of Florida (UF) College of Dentistry and will be held on Feb 06, 2026 at University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, United States of America.

Description:
Any dentist performing sedation or providing care to a sedated patient should be able to provide airway management and ventilation for a patient encountering respiratory distress. The goal of the basic airway course is to educate the practitioner in basic airway assessment via history and physical assessment of the patient and to review relevant anatomy, physiology and equipment. The practitioner will learn the motor skills necessary to initiate basic airway management with regards to relieving obstruction, insertion of airway adjuncts, mask ventilation, and intubation. Motor skills will be developed under supervision utilizing simulation. Participants will complete a post-course evaluation of their airway skills.

Goals:

• Educate the dental practitioner in basic airway assessment and pre-anesthetic history and physical evaluation
• Review relevant anatomy of the airway
• Review respiratory physiology and the effects of sedative drugs on respiration
• Practice motor skills necessary to initiate basic airway management: relieve obstruction, utilize adjuncts (nasal and oropharyngeal airways) and perform mask ventilation
• Practice motor skills necessary to place and maintain an advanced airway including laryngeal mask airway (LMA) and endotracheal tube (ETT)
• Learn the value of team preparation in emergency response

Objectives:

• Describe basic airway anatomy
• Review basic pulmonary physiology and understand the effects of sedation on respiration
• Review basic airway exam
• Identify patients with an abnormal pre-sedation airway evaluation and how this affects sedation risk
• Understand the role of monitoring in respiratory surveillance including observation, auscultation, pulse oximetry and end-tidal CO2 monitoring
• Describe clinical situations in which oxygen, bag-valve-mask ventilation or intubation may be needed, and review various airway-related emergency situations that may occur with sedated patients, including laryngospasm, foreign-body obstruction, emesis and aspiration, and bronchospasm
• Demonstrate understanding of indications for utilization of airway equipment and describe sizing and placement for the following: oxygen, stethoscope, bag-valve-mask, oropharyngeal and nasopharyngeal airways, laryngeal mask airway (LMA), endotracheal tube (ETT), bougie, stylet, laryngoscope; glidescope, Yankauer suction
• Review basic techniques of ventilation using simulated experiences
• Review basic techniques of intubation using simulated experiences with LMA, ETT
• Demonstrate confirming tube placement and ventilation using chest rise and EtCO2
• Teamwork in emergency response