On 15 October 2015, The Resuscitation Council (UK) published new resuscitation guidelines following the review of resuscitation science by the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR). The 2015 guidelines emphasize the importance of interactions between the emergency medical dispatcher, the bystander who provides cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and the prompt deployment of an automated external defibrillator (AED); the co-ordination of these three elements is crucial to improving out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survival. Medical emergencies in dental practices are thought to occur on average once every 3−4 years per dentist in primary care. The GDC consider medical emergencies as a highly recommended topic for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) and recommend at least 10 hours in every CPD cycle. Clinical relevance: The publication of the updated guidelines serves as a reminder to the clinical team of the importance of being up to date with recognition and treatment of cardiac arrest and choking and how seamless interaction between members of both the dental and medical teams improves long-term outcomes for patients.