|
Sedation
and Anesthesia for Pediatric Dental Treatment
This is a list of possibly asked questions.
I hope this can help to make the right choices for your child. Please do not
hesitate to discuss this openly with your pediatric dentist. Clear and open
communication is the key to good care.
Why would a child need
sedation or general anesthesia just to have teeth fixed?
Is there a safer, less risky
way to treat a child's teeth?
How are pediatric dentists
making sure sedation and anesthesia are safe?
Have any children been
injured from complications of sedation or anesthesia while under a pediatric
dentist's care?
Is it likely that a child
under sedation or anesthesia will suffer serious complications or die while
under a pediatric dentist's care?
If sedation or anesthesia is
recommended to treat my child's teeth, how can I be sure this is the best
option?
How can parents be sure
their child is safe in a dental office?
- Why would a child need sedation
or general anesthesia just to have teeth fixed?
Unfortunately,
many children suffer from serious, potentially painful dental diseases.
Unlike such health conditions as colds or flu, dental diseases won't go away
on their own. When treatment is required for a serious dental condition,
sedation or general anesthesia may be recommended to make delivery of that
required treatment possible in a safe and comfortable manner. Without
treatment dental diseases can adversely affect, learning, communication,
nutrition and other activities necessary for normal growth and development.
Back
to top
- Is there a safer, less risky way
to treat a child's teeth?
When a child (or a person of any age with a disability)
needs extensive dental treatment, general anesthesia is an accepted standard of
care. This standard is supported by the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, the American Dental Association, the
American Medical Association, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services. General anesthesia is also an accepted standard of care for
situations involving children who have limited comprehension or children who
are extremely uncooperative and require dental care that is technically
difficult or sensitive to deliver.
Back
to top
- How are pediatric dentists making
sure sedation and anesthesia are safe?
Pediatric dentists are carefully trained in
the safe administration of sedation as part of their specialty education
which lasts two to three years beyond dental school. This advanced education
includes practice experience in a hospital environment.
The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry encourages all dentists to follow the Guidelines
for the Elective Use of Conscious Sedation, Deep Sedation and General
Anesthesia in Pediatric Dental Patients. The Guidelines which were passed 13
years ago and revised several times since, recommend such procedures as
patient evaluation, informed consent, monitoring, and back-up emergency
services.
The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, along with a number of dental
universities, offers continuing education courses on sedation every year to
keep the dental profession well informed of developments in safe sedation
techniques.
Back
to top
- Have any children been injured
from complications of sedation or anesthesia while under a pediatric
dentist's care?
Pediatric
dentists have an extensive safety record in sedation procedures. At this
time, we are not aware of a single case of morbidity or mortality in a
pediatric dental office when the AAPD Guidelines have been followed
conscientiously.
Back
to top
- Is it likely that a child under
sedation or anesthesia will suffer serious complications or die while
under a pediatric dentist's care?
Dental treatment requiring general anesthesia
in a hospital environment poses similar risks to those inherent in any
surgical procedure for children. The mortality rate for children undergoing
general surgery procedures is one in 250,000.
Back
to top
- If sedation or anesthesia is
recommended to treat my child's teeth, how can I be sure this is the
best option?
Ask your pediatric dentist to explain all
treatment options and their benefits and risks. Parents should have the right
to be carefully informed about the benefits and risks of any dental treatment
for their children. In fact parents have the opportunity to sign informed
consent papers before sedation is administered to their child.
Back
to top
- How can parents be sure their
child is safe in a dental office?
Parents
should ask the dentist about his/her training, medications to be used, and
monitoring and emergency procedures. If questions are not answered to a parents'
satisfaction, parents should seek a second opinion.
Back
to top
To avoid risks of dental
surgery for your child, make sure your child won't need it. The earlier your
child sees a pediatric dentist, the better your chances of preventing dental
problems. Pediatric dentists recommend first dental visits no later than the
child's first birthday in order to prevent serious oral conditions that may
require complicated treatment later on.
Source: American Academy
of Pediatric Dentistry 1999
© Dietmar
A.J. Kennel 1999
|
