Sedation in Dentistry and Guidelines

Abstract

Intravenous sedation, monitored anesthesia care（MAC）, is often applied to dental patients with dental fear and/or anxiety about dental treatment. Dental treatment is characterized by the following features：the treatment field and airway are secured at the same site, water is used in the oral cavity, most subjects are outpatients, and patients repeatedly receive a series of dental treatments in a short period. Therefore, special care is necessary when conducting sedation in dentistry to ensure safety. For these reasons, the Japanese Dental Society of Anesthesiology recently published Practice Guidelines for Intravenous Conscious Sedation in Dentistry（Second Edition, 2017）. These guidelines were edited in accordance with the procedural manual for evidence-based medical care of the Working Group of the Society, consisting of board-certified dental anesthesiology specialists. The purpose of these guidelines is to help patients who cannot receive standard dental treatments receive appropriate dental treatments by undergoing safe and effective intravenous conscious sedation. In the present article, I provide a brief outline of the guidelines and discuss essential concepts of sedation, the various purposes of sedation, and the method and level of sedation depending on individual purposes.