Sedation and general anesthesia practices in U.S. dentistry vary widely

An article in the journal Anesthesia Progress reported the results of a survey of 717 providers. The questionnaire-based survey investigated training, practice characteristics and anesthesia techniques of dental care providers.

A universal instructional standard for sedation and general anesthesia is lacking in the training requirements of U.S. dental boards, although similarities do exist. Most commonly, training was through oral surgery residencies. Overall, respondents reported that 33 per cent of their postgraduate instruction was hospital-based.

Thirty-five per cent of dental anesthesia assistants were without formal training, closely followed by 33.5 per cent who received training through an American Association of Oral Maxillofacial Surgeons program. A much lower 7.3 per cent were trained through an American Dental Society of Anesthesiology program.

Other aspects of the survey included types of patients and procedures for which sedation or general anesthesia were used. The questionnaire also asked which medication agents were most commonly used and how they were administered. Postanesthesia care was most commonly found to be given by the actual provider (51.7 per cent of cases), but a nurse or assistant often provided recovery care as well (45 per cent).

Most survey respondents, nearly 82 per cent, were both dentist and anesthetist for their practice, a long-established tradition. However, the authors note that recent state regulations as well as anesthesia education in U.S. dental schools are now limiting this method of practice.

Full text of the article, “Practice Characteristics Among Dental Anesthesia Providers in the United States,” Anesthesia Progress, Volume 57, Issue 2, 2010, is available at www2.allenpress.com/pdf/anpr-57.2_52-58.pdf.

About Anesthesia Progress

Anesthesia Progress is the official publication of the American Dental Society of Anesthesiology (ADSA). The quarterly journal is dedicated to providing a better understanding of the advances being made in the science of pain and anxiety control in dentistry.

The journal invites submissions of review articles, reports on clinical techniques, case reports and conference summaries.