Program Director One Brooklyn Health Brooklyn, New York, United States
Abstract: Objective The purpose of this study was to 1) survey the use of sedation practices among pediatric dentists, 2) compare the results to a series of similar surveys periodically conducted by one of the authors over the past 39 years. Material and Methods A 26-item survey was modified to up-date changes from previous surveys used over 3 decades Surveys were sent electronically to a purchased list of active members of the American Association of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) Results The demographic breakdown of respondents and their monitoring techniques was similar to 5 previous surveys. Likewise, percent boarded members was greater than non-board-certified respondents consistent with results of the past 2 surveys. Most of the respondents indicated that 26% or more of their patients needed nitrous oxide.. Most respondents had not changed their frequency of use of sedative agents over the past 5 years. For those 21% reporting a decreased usage, the major reason was “Feeling better able to manage patients without sedation”, while increased usage (25%) was attributed to “More difficult to provide treatment with general anesthesia” and “Parental request” was not related to years in practice. Conclusions Frequency of sedative use has remained consistent with previous surveys.
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