Intravenous sedation for adults with profound acquired brain injury undergoing dental treatment - a seven-year service evaluation
2024

Evaluating IV Sedation for Dental Treatment in Patients with Brain Injury

Sample size: 303 publication Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Mili Doshi, Ahmed Kahatab, Louise Gallagher, Ria Prasad, Richard Fitzgerald

Primary Institution: Royal Hospital for Neuro-disability, London, UK

Hypothesis

Is intravenous sedation with midazolam safe and effective for dental treatment in patients with profound acquired brain injury?

Conclusion

Dentist-led IV sedation with midazolam is safe and effective for dental treatment for patients with a profound acquired brain injury.

Supporting Evidence

  • 303 episodes of sedation were undertaken over seven years.
  • 91% of treatments were completed successfully.
  • Complications occurred in 7.9% of cases, all of which were minor.

Takeaway

This study shows that giving medicine to help patients with brain injuries relax during dental work is safe and works well.

Methodology

Retrospective service evaluation of IV sedation for dental treatment over seven years, using descriptive statistics.

Limitations

Data on how many patients desaturated but were managed with stimulation and airway manoeuvres was not collected.

Participant Demographics

303 patients, 40.3% female and 59.7% male, ages 18 to 83, with 92.1% graded as ASA 3.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1038/s41405-024-00289-2

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