Introduction: Dental urgencies and emergencies are present on many occasions and may sometimes occur in the professional practice of any dental surgeon. As a result of the constant increase in the number of individuals affected systemically, the chances of emergency situations occurring during dental practice have grown considerably. Objectives: Thus, the present study aimed to present and describe urgent and emergency situations in the dental field. Methodology: The following databases were used: PubMed, Elsevier and Scielo, in studies in Portuguese and English with a time frame from 2010 to 2022, using the descriptors: Emergency; Urgency; Dental surgeon. Results and discussion: Among the most common medical urgencies and/or emergencies that occur in a dental office, the literature highlights lipothymia, syncope, hypoglycemia, allergic reaction, seizures, airway obstruction, cardiovascular emergencies and asthma attacks. The prevalence of urgencies and emergencies is often related to the professional's conduct, which can also be caused by the lack of a clear definition of medical emergencies. However, according to the literature, lipothymia and syncope predominate in all studies. Conclusion: In this way, it is understood that the prevalence of urgencies and medical emergencies is widely present in dental practice, being essential to adopt training and simulations, which inform dental professionals about the most prevalent medical emergencies, their symptoms, therapeutics be employed in each case and equipment needed to respond to these emergencies, with the aim of ensuring that the standard of care provided to patients is of the highest level.