Module 1_Principles and Techniques Flashcards
What is the difference between a principle and a technique?
Principle
- Comprehensive and fundamental doctrine or assumptions
- Laws or facts of nature
Technique:
-A practical method for achieving accomplishing a task
What are the essential requirements of surgery?
- Absence of infection
- Absence of pain
- Minimum trauma
- Sound assessment
What is the approximate number of microorganisms in the mouth?
10^9 microorganisms per cubic millimetre
What is asepsis?
Exclusion or minimisation of microorganisms from the wound
What techniques are used to minimise foreign sources of microorgansims from the surgeon and instruments?
- No touch technique
- Aseptic technique
What is the no touch technique?
- Instruments are sterilised beforehand
- Parts of instrument that come in contact with patient are not touched by operator
What is the aseptic technique?
Isolation between the surgeon, the instruments and the wound
What are the dimensions of a wound after a full dental clearance?
-0.5cm wide
1.5cm deep
20cm length of dental arch
What reasons justify the use of GA?
- Length or difficult operation or involve several quadrants
- Acute infection contraindicating LA
- Young children or very nervous patients
*Patient request is not sufficient grounds
What are the contra-indications for GA?
- Lack of adequate facilities or skilled staff
- Medical reasons (e.g. respiratory disease)
What is the approximate death rate from GA in apparently health individuals?
1 in 100 000 (one in one hundred thousand)
What happens if death occurs within 24 hours of an operation? What should you do because of this?
Mandatory coronal investigation
Document that procedure required, carried out in appropriate facilities, and with appropriately skilled staff
What steps should be taken to minimise trauma?
Plan: Know precisely what and how much you need to remove, know what should be conserved, removing too little is often worse than removing too much (e.g. if partially remove cancer operation is largely pointless)
Aim of the operation: don’t concentrate too much on what is going to be discarded, aim more to preserve the state of what is left (e.g. no point concentrating on keeping an extracted tooth in one piece if doing so means destruction of the alveolar ridges remaining)
Be very gentle: with living tissue
Is it generally worse to remove too little or remove too much?
-Generally too little is worse
If trying to remove cancer and remove only part of it, then operation is largely pointless
What is the average size of a red blood cell?
7 microns
