58th Annual Memorial Lecture
NOVEMBER 22, 2025
65 Chancellors Circle – UMSU University Centre
Registration and Coffee – 7.15 am to 8.00 am
Lecture starts at 8.15 am
Dr. David Isen
Medical Emergencies in the Dental Office
Medical emergencies are rare in dental offices since dental treatment is generally safe. However, at times, the unexpected occurs. Emergencies do happen and so, it is incumbent on practitioners to be prepared for these potential events. Our patients rely on this. Because dentists and their teams are not practiced in medical emergency protocols, and these events are infrequent, remembering the correct steps to take is difficult.
This full-day course is broken down into four sections. In the first, we will look at medical history questionnaire and vital sign assessment. This will give the participant an understanding of how to predict which of our patients are medically risky to treat and how to minimize those risks.
The second part of this talk will present current basic life support protocols and how to incorporate these protocols into a dental office team environment. The use of an AED will also be highlighted. A method to organize our thinking during an emergency (P-CAB-D) will be presented.
In the third section of this lecture, medical emergency drugs and their use will be presented. Which drugs are appropriate and required for a dental office to have on-hand, will be discussed.
And finally, specific emergencies and how to respond to them will be presented. Syncope, asthma, angina, myocardial infarction and cardiac arrest, to name a few will be highlighted.
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David’s dental clinic in Toronto, Sleep For Dentistry, is anaesthesia-based, treating patients who require intravenous sedation or advanced techniques in local anaesthesia. Many of these people have special medical needs or are dental phobic.
David has given over 400 presentations around the world on topics related to the management of medical emergencies in healthcare settings, local anaesthesia for dentistry and the use of sedation in dentistry. He has lectured for many university continuing education programs, dental societies and conventions.
He is the author of numerous articles, has peer-reviewed papers for a variety of dental journals and as well has acted as a consultant and product evaluator for dental and pharmaceutical companies.
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The Alpha Omega Memorial Lecture started over 50 years ago, in memory of our departed fraters. It is an annual lecture that the fraternity provides to the entire dental community with no registration fee for attending Dental health professionals.
This lecture is one of two fundraising events that our local chapter holds to raise funds for our foundation. The Alpha Omega Foundation, Manitoba Chapter, is a charitable foundation that over the years has donated tens of thousands of dollars to local charities and organizations. The Canadian Museum of Human Rights; Siloam Mission; Christmas Cheer Board; Heart and Stroke; Diabetes; the Simkin Centre; the Jewish Foundation of Manitoba, (which supports hundreds of charities), and the Dr. Gerald Niznick College of Dentistry, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, are amongst the many recipients of our foundation’s funds.
The Alpha Omega Foundation is proud of its history and heritage, understanding that every dollar donated makes a difference for someone whose life is less fortunate than ours. Read more about donating to The Alpha Omega Foundation.
Donations over $25.00 will receive a tax donation receipt. Thank you very much.