Oral Protection in Electroconvulsive Therapy

An Improvised Bite-Block Apparatus to Prevent Oral Mucosa Damage in Electroconvulsive Therapy

“…3 Because of variations in individual anatomy, sometimes variations in protection must be improvised on the spot. 4 In this case, the patient reported biting the insides of both cheeks after his first treatment despite use of a disposable foam bite block. To enhance safety and comfort, a modified bite-protection strategy was used using 2 bite blocks; one inserted in the standard fashion and another, cut in half, used as shown to protect the lateral aspects of the buccal mucosa from damage.…”

“…Oral protection can be altered or enhanced based on preprocedure dental pathology 3 . Because of variations in individual anatomy, sometimes variations in protection must be improvised on the spot 4 …”