Addressing the Gag Reflex: A Literature Review

• Main Authors: Sweta K Pisulkar Associate Professor, Ruchi Agrawal Resident, Surekha R Godbole Professor and Head, Vivek Jadhav Associate Professor
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Thieme Medical and Scientific Publishers Pvt. Ltd. 2018-01-01
• Series: International Journal of Recent Surgical and Medical Sciences
• Subjects: gagging; management; neurophysiology of gagging; severity index
• Online Access: http://www.thieme-connect.de/DOI/DOI?10.5005/jp-journals-10053-0061

Gagging is an involuntary protective reflex. Some patients have an extremely low threshold for the gag reflex. A severe gag reflex can be a big obstacle in certain dental procedures especially during the making of a maxillary impression. Many dental patients avoid going to the dentist because of an abnormally severe gag reflex. Treating such group of patients can be stressful and a time-consuming experience, both for the dentist and for the patient. The main aim of this article is to understand the etiology and effective management of such patients for a stress-free and fruitful clinical practice.