Effectiveness and acceptability of intravenous sedation in child and adolescent dental patients: report of a case series at King's College Hospital, London

Service evaluation of an intravenous sedation service within a hospital paediatric dentistry unit: ten-year results

Background An intravenous sedation (IVS) service was established in 2008 for young people aged 12 years or over, within the paediatric dentistry department at the Eastman Dental Hospital in London. The aim of this study was to carry out a service evaluation and assess the case mix and success rate of this service over the last ten years.Materials and methods A retrospective service evaluation was carried out, including all patients attending the IVS clinic between April 2009 and March 2019.Results A total of 457 patients attended over 525 appointments. The mean age was 14. The success rate was over 98%. The average dose of midazolam was 4 mg and dosage ranged from 1.5-10 mg.Conclusion This IVS service has been established successfully and offers patients an alternative to general anaesthetic. This consequently reduced the general anaesthetic waiting list by 10%.

Can intravenous conscious sedation with midazolam be effective at facilitating surgical dentistry in adolescent orthodontic patients? A service evaluation

Background Surgical dentistry during orthodontic care often occurs in adolescence and may involve surgical removal or exposure of teeth. The invasive nature of treatment, combined with dental anxiety, means care can often be provided under general anaesthesia (GA). Best-practice guidelines however endorse conscious sedation as an alternative, where appropriate. Although a limited number of studies have shown safe and effective use of intravenous conscious sedation (IVCS) with midazolam in this cohort, robust evidence to support routine use is lacking. Aim To assess whether IVCS with midazolam can effectively facilitate surgical dentistry in adolescent orthodontic patients in primary care.Method A retrospective service evaluation was undertaken reviewing clinical records of adolescents (aged 12-15 years) undergoing surgical exposure and/or surgical removal of teeth under IVCS with midazolam.Results A total of 174 adolescents (mean age 14.2 years) attended for treatment between 2009 and 2015. Of these adolescents, 98.9% (N = 172) allowed cannulation, with all surgical dentistry completed during a single visit. Midazolam dose ranged from 2-7 mg with 79.1% of patients having good or excellent cooperation and three minor adverse events occurring.Conclusion This service evaluation shows IVCS with midazolam can effectively facilitate surgical orthodontics in carefully selected adolescents. There is however a distinct need to further explore potential for this technique to provide a viable alternative to GA.

Benzodiazepines: Sedation and Agitation

Dental anxiety is common and frequently poses a barrier to necessary dental treatment. The increasing availability of conscious sedation in dental practice has made treatment much more accessible for anxious patients. At present, benzodiazepines are the most commonly used drugs in sedation practice and provide a pleasant experience for most, but not all, patients. An understanding of the mechanism of action of benzodiazepines should inform our practice and deepen our understanding of why and how sedation may fail. CPD/CLINICAL RELEVANCE: As an increasing number of dentists provide sedation for their patients an update on benzodiazepines is timely.

Management of a high risk epileptic patient under conscious sedation: A multidisciplinary approach

Epilepsy, characterized by the risk of recurrent seizures, is a chronic disease that afflicts about 5% of the world's population. The main dental problems associated with epileptic patients include gingival hyperplasia, minor oral injuries, tooth trauma, and prosthodontic problems, which require the dental treatment. Stress and fear are the most common triggering factors for the epilepsy in dental chair. Therefore, a more appropriate method of treating such epileptic patients may be warranted. Conscious sedation is a technique of providing good anesthesia and analgesia to patients, the main advantage of which is the patient's rapid return to presentation levels. Midazolam used as a sedative agent has anticonvulsant properties. This case report highlights a case requiring multiple dental procedures carried out in a high risk epileptic patient under conscious sedation.

Reported side effects of intravenous midazolam sedation when used in paediatric dentistry: a review

BACKGROUND

Intravenous (IV) midazolam may be of value as an alternative paediatric dental sedation technique, but there is some apprehension concerning its routine use due to a lack of evidence regarding its safety and side effects.

AIM

To review all available literature reporting the side effects of IV midazolam in children undergoing dental procedures.

DESIGN

Both randomised controlled trials (RCT) and non-randomised studies were reviewed. Reported side effects were categorised as either significant or minor, and the percentage prevalence of significant or minor side effects per episode of treatment was calculated.

RESULTS

Five RCTs were included, in which no significant side events were reported; however, minor side effects were recorded (n = 33, 19.5%), with paradoxical reaction being the most common (n = 11, 6.5%). Six non-randomised studies were included, in which no significant side effects were reported; however, minor side effects were reported (n = 118, 16.8%) with paradoxical reaction being the most common (n = 89, 12.7%).

CONCLUSIONS

Although no significant side effects were recorded, of the minor side effects reported paradoxical reaction was the most common. Due to inconsistency in side effect reporting, the authors suggest the application of a standardised adverse event reporting tool for future studies of sedation in paediatric dentistry.

Conscious sedation procedures using intravenous midazolam for dental care in patients with different cognitive profiles: a prospective study of effectiveness and safety

The use of midazolam for dental care in patients with intellectual disability is poorly documented. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of conscious sedation procedures using intravenous midazolam in adults and children with intellectual disability (ID) compared to dentally anxious patients (DA). Ninety-eight patients with ID and 44 patients with DA programmed for intravenous midazolam participated in the study over 187 and 133 sessions, respectively. Evaluation criteria were success of dental treatment, cooperation level (modified Venham scale), and occurrence of adverse effects. The mean intravenous dose administered was 8.8±4.9 mg and 9.8±4.1 mg in ID and DA sessions respectively (t-test, NS). 50% N₂O/O₂ was administered during cannulation in 51% of ID sessions and 61% of DA sessions (NS, Fisher exact test). Oral or rectal midazolam premedication was administered for cannulation in 31% of ID sessions and 3% of DA sessions (p<0,001, Fisher exact test). Dental treatment was successful in 9 out of 10 sessions for both groups. Minor adverse effects occurred in 16.6% and 6.8% of ID and DA sessions respectively (p = 0.01, Fisher exact test). Patients with ID were more often very disturbed during cannulation (25.4% ID vs. 3.9% DA sessions) and were less often relaxed after induction (58.9% ID vs. 90.3% DA) and during dental treatment (39.5% ID vs. 59.7% DA) (p<0.001, Fisher exact test) than patients with DA. When midazolam sedation was repeated, cooperation improved for both groups. Conscious sedation procedures using intravenous midazolam, with or without premedication and/or inhalation sedation (50% N₂O/O₂), were shown to be safe and effective in patients with intellectual disability when administered by dentists.