Use of intravenous sedation in periodontal practice: a national survey

In the early 1990s, much of the periodontal profession perceived an upcoming shift in services performed by periodontists as many patients began to expect sedation for periodontal surgery. As a result, in 1993 the American Academy of Periodontology began encouraging postgraduate periodontal programs to train residents in the use of conscious sedation. The purpose of this study is to investigate trends in the training of intravenous (i.v.) sedation in residency and its use in periodontal practice.

An 18-question survey was mailed to a sample of 1596 active periodontists throughout the United States and Canada. Thirty-seven percent (596) of the surveys were returned. Twenty-two retired periodontists responded and were excluded from the analysis. The data from the remaining 574 surveys were analyzed with a statistical software package.

Approximately half (49.8%) of the survey respondents offer i.v. sedation in their practices. Among respondents who completed residency prior to 1996, 42.6% offer i.v. sedation compared with 64.2% of respondents who completed residency in 1996 or later. The number of i.v. sedations performed in residency was moderately correlated with the number of i.v. sedations personally performed in periodontal practice (Spearman r = 0.5169, P <0.0001). The largest percentage of periodontists using i.v. sedation (74.0%) was reported from American Academy of Periodontology District 5 (south central United States), whereas District 7 (New Jersey and New York) reported the lowest usage (15.6%).

Approximately half of all periodontists provide i.v. sedation, with more recent periodontal graduates more likely to personally offer and administer i.v. sedation services for their patients. Regional differences exist in the use and training of i.v. sedation.