• Kimiko Kubota, Moriyoshi Nakamura, Tatsuhiko Kano, and Jingo Kusukawa.
• Department of Anesthesiology, Kurume University School of Medicine, Kurume 830-0011.
• Masui. 2010 Aug 1; 59 (8): 1053-7.

BackgroundThe objective of this study is to clarify the causes of dental injuries (DIs) developed during the direct laryngoscopy for the endotracheal intubation (EI) in our hospital.MethodsSubjects are 4173 patients who had the EI from April 1, 2006 to March 31, 2007. Mallampati's classification and Miller's classification were used for the evaluation of difficult airway and the dental unsteadiness, respectively.ResultsThere was no case between 10 and 40 years of age. Twelve cases (0.3%) had the DIs during the observation period. In 8 out of 12 cases (67%), EI was carried out by the residents with less than 3 months of the training period. Three cases (25%) were classified to the II or III grade. The dissociation of the evaluations by a dental anesthesiologist and medical anesthesiologists were found in two cases. Eight cases received temporary treatment by a dental anesthesiologist.ConclusionsTemporary treatment in the operating room was carried out by a dental anesthesiologist. Careful inquiry is needed for the proper preoperative teeth evaluation, especially in the schoolchild with milk teeth and elderly patients. A precise educational system for the residents is required for the prevention of DIs during the EI.

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