The Changes of Sedation in the Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Yonsei University Dental Hospital

Abstract

Sedation is a useful behavior management technique for dental patients who may be uncontrollable or have medical problems. The aim of this study is to investigate the changes in patterns of sedative treatments in pediatric dentistry by analyzing the distribution of patients and used sedative agents. Patients and sedative agents were reviewed based on the electronic medical records (EMR) of the department of pediatric dentistry in Yonsei University Dental Hospital from 2011 to 2016. The number of patients who were treated under sedation generally increased. Male received more sedation treatment than female by 2014, and they became similar from 2015. The treatment percentage of patients with systemic disease decreased in 2013, remained constantly afterwards. The ratio of sedative treatment for the age 4 - 5 and age 6 - 10 generally increased, while that of the age 0 - 2 and older than age 11 decreased. The ratio of the age 3 remained steady. Nitrous oxide was the most frequently used sedative agent. The use of benzodiazepine increased while the use of chloral hydrate decreased. Although the use of sedation has expanded, multidimensional approaches for ensuring safety have been less focused. Therefore, it is necessary to explore further studies for the safety and efficacy of the use of sedation.