Course Overview
This course equips dental professionals with the knowledge and skills to recognise, respond to, and help prevent sepsis in the dental setting. You will learn the causes, risk factors, and early warning signs, as well as the correct escalation pathways and preventive measures.
Aims
- To raise awareness of sepsis as a life-threatening medical emergency relevant to dental practice.
- To enable dental professionals to recognise early signs of sepsis in adults and children.
- To ensure dental teams understand their role in prevention, rapid identification, and escalation.
Objectives
By the end of the course, participants will:
- Understand what sepsis is and how it develops.
- Identify the causes of sepsis that can originate from dental infections.
- Recognise Red Flag signs of sepsis in adults and children.
- Apply correct escalation procedures for suspected sepsis cases.
- Implement preventive measures in everyday dental practice.
- Recognise which patient groups are at higher risk.
Learning Outcomes
After completing this course, dental professionals will be able to:
- Explain the pathophysiology of sepsis in simple terms.
- List dental-related causes of sepsis.
- Describe Red Flag symptoms in adults and children.
- Demonstrate appropriate emergency escalation (calling 999, not delaying referral).
- Apply infection prevention protocols to minimise sepsis risk.
- Identify high-risk patient groups during medical history checks.
GDC Development Outcomes:
A, C
Review Date:
January 2027
