Current state of sedation/analgesia care in dentistry : Current Opinion in Anesthesiology

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Anaesthesia outside the operating room

Current state of sedation/analgesia care in dentistry

Leitch, Jasona; Macpherson, Avrilb

Author Information

aOral Surgery/Sedation, Glasgow Dental Hospital and School, Scotland

bSpecial Care & Sedation Department, Lothian Salaried Primary Care Dental Service, Edinburgh, Scotland

Correspondence to Dr J. Leitch, Oral Surgery/Sedation, Glasgow Dental Hospital and School, 378 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow, G2 3JZ, Scotland Tel: +44 (0)141 211 9866; e-mail: [email protected]

Current Opinion in Anaesthesiology 20(4):p 384-387, August 2007. | DOI: 10.1097/ACO.0b013e32825ea2a4

Abstract

Purpose of review 

Dentistry treatment is one of the most anxiety-inducing events in people's lives. The development of pain and anxiety-control techniques has always been very closely aligned to the development of dentistry. The purpose of this review is to summarize the recent literature in this field.

Recent findings 

The literature in the last 12 months falls into four main categories: dental anxiety and its influence on patient care, dental sedation for children, sedation with benzodiazepines for dentistry, and intravenous propofol sedation for dentistry.

Summary 

Considerable progress is being made with a number of innovative techniques. Oral midazolam for children and patient-controlled propofol show very promising results. More research is needed before propofol can be recommended for use without anaesthetic staff. The recently published systematic review of sedation in children outlines gaps in the literature and contains recommendations for future work.

© 2007 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Inc.

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