Emergency Dental Kits for rural GPs

Rural primary-care clinicians need knowledge and support resources when faced with dental emergencies.

Emergency Dental Kit

The Emergency Dental Kit has been developed by Dr Tony Skapetis, Clinical Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Dentistry at Sydney University, with support from the NSW Rural Doctors Network (RDN). The aim of the kit is to assist rural GPs in the treatment of dental emergencies where no dentist is available.

The kit is part of an education program that includes comprehensive upskilling through a series of regional workshops, developed and implemented by Dr Skapetis. Once doctors have completed the upskilling, their practice or emergency department is eligible to purchase the kit, which the NSW Rural Doctors Network (RDN) distributes on a cost-recovery basis. The kit contains the materials required to perform an emergency dental repair along with a detailed, illustrated manual.

View the Emergency Dental Kit and its contents.

For more information about the education program, please email Dr Tony Skapetis.

For information on how to purchase the kit, please email RDN.

Already own a NSW RDN Emergency Dental Kit?

If you are looking to restock your kit, the following suppliers can assist:

Horseley Dental Supplies Tel: 02 8717 6500. Product: Micro Applicators (No. N902)
Dentsply Australia Tel: 1300 552 929. Product: Dycal Ivory Standard Pack (No. 623401)
Henry Schein Halas Tel: 02 9697 6288. Product: GC Fuji IX GP powder + liquid (No. 04II01A)

For GPs that have undertaken upskilling and obtained a kit, feedback on cases where the kit has been used will aid Dr Tony Skapetis in further research and development in the management of dental emergencies. Complete the Dental Emergency Kit online questionnaire. 

Useful Web Links

Australian Institute of Health & Welfare - Oral health and dental care in Australia: facts and figures (2012)
Across remoteness areas, remote and very remote regions had the lowest number of nearly all dental practitioners. Data shows that adults living in remote and very remote areas had higher rates of untreated decay than those in major cities - 38% compared with 24% in the years 2004-2006, and children in regional and remote areas were at increased risk of dental decay in their baby teeth compared with those in major cities.

Emergency Care Institute of NSW - Online Course

Research into the effectiveness of educational workshop for GPs and uptake of dental emergency resources

NSW Ministry of Health - Oral Health 2020: A Strategic Framework for Dental Health in NSW

National Oral Health Plan - Rural and Remote

Australian Government Department of Health - Better Dental Care