Abstract
Difficulty in breathing can be very disconcerting to a patient who is conscious yet unable to breath normally. The common causes of acute respiratory distress include hyperventilation, vasodepressor syncope, asthma, heart failure, and hypoglycemia. In most of these situations, the patient does not exhibit respiratory distress unless an underlying medical disorder becomes acutely exacerbated. Examples of this include acute myocardial infarction, anaphylaxis, cerebrovascular accident, hyperglycemia, and hypoglycemia. A major factor that leads to the exacerbation of respiratory disorders is undue stress, either physiologic or psychologic. Psychologic stress in dentistry is the primary factor in the exacerbation of preexisting medical problems. Therefore, the most dental patient should be cared gently as the stress reduction protocol. This is a case report of acute respiratory distress with vasodepressor syncope during alginate impression taking of mandibular teeth in a long-standing temporomandibular joint dislocated 93-years-old pneumonic patient.