Laryngeal Mark Airway in Oral and Dental Surgeries- A Review

Oral and dental surgery requires a stable airway that is unobstructed, protects lung from aspiration, low interference with the surgical field and few complications. The laryngeal mask airway (LMA), is an alternative to nasal mask and endotracheal intubation, provides advantages of intubation while avoiding some of its complications. LMA is easy to insert and can be used for both spontaneous and controlled ventilations. Operation theater pollution is very less with scavenging of gases. Many other variants of LMA have been developed over the years on same principle, providing additional features and benefits. The LMA flexible, a wire reinforced LMA, is specifically designed for head and neck surgeries. In the intervening years, LMA has been extensively used in oral and dental surgeries despite some being skeptical about it. The purpose of this article is to review the laryngeal mask airway with especial emphasis on its use in oral and dental surgery