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In the context of surgery or dental surgery, a gag is a device used to hold the patient's mouth open when working in the oral cavity. Applications for medical gags include oral surgery and airway management. Gag designs, like other medical instrument designs, are often named after their invertors. Common examples of medical gags include the Jennings, Whitehead, and Hallam gags.

The Whitehead gag --invented in 1877 by Walter Whitehead (1840-1913), a surgeon in Manchester, England-- consists of two hinged metal frames that wrap around the front of the patient's head and which have sections bent so as to fit beween the front teeth. When spread apart, the frames separate the jaws, holding the mouth open. The desired deegree of separation is set and maintained by means a ratchet mechanism on each side of the frame. In Jennings gags --which are very similar in other respects-- there is a ratchet on only one side.

Non-Medical Uses

These type of gags have also been given a niche within sexual fetish or bondage play. In this context, the gags are often fitted with belts that wrap around the wearer's head.

See also

• Mouth prop

External links

• Mouth gags index page from the Virtual Museum of Equipment for Airway Management at the Austrian Difficult Airway/Intubation Registry

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