Gagging: When To Worry And How To Cope

Abstract

Gagging is protective reflex for airway protection and removal of irritant material from posterior oropharynx and GIT.[5] The  normal  gag  reflex  is  a  defensive mechanism for the survival that is controlled mainly by  parasympathetic  division  of  the  autonomic nervous  system.  The gag reflex is an innate reflex intended to guard the upper respiratory tract and the digestive tract against from foreign body that  might block them. However, it can be an acquired, adapted by  various  stimuli  like  visual,  olfactory,  acoustic, psychic,  chemical  or  toxic  transmitted  through  the blood flow or the cerebrospinal fluid. For effective management of gagging patients, the dentist should determine all possible factors (anatomic, organic, psychological) and causes of this active gag reflex.