Complications of Moderate Sedation Versus Deep Sedation/General Anesthesia for Adolescent Patients Undergoing Third...

To examine the complications resulting from moderate sedation versus deep sedation/general anesthesia for adolescent patients undergoing third molar extraction and determine whether any differences in complication risks exist between the 2 levels of sedation.

We performed a prospective study of the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Outcomes System from January 2001 to December 2010. The primary predictor variable was the level of sedation, divided into 2 groups: moderate sedation versus deep sedation/general anesthesia. The primary outcome was the incidence of adverse complications resulting from the sedation level. Differences in the cohort characteristics were analyzed using the independent samples t test, χ(2) test, and analysis of variance, as appropriate. Multivariable logistic regression was used to measure the effect the level of sedation had on the adverse complication rate.

Patients in the moderate sedation group had a complication rate of 0.5%, and patients in the deep sedation/general anesthesia group had a complication rate of 0.9%. Compared with moderate sedation, deep sedation/general anesthesia did not pose a significantly increased risk of adverse anesthesia complications (adjusted odds ratio 1.63, 95% confidence interval 0.95 to 2.81; P = .077).

The results of our study have shown that the risk of adverse anesthesia complications is not increased when choosing between moderate and deep sedation/general anesthesia for adolescent patients undergoing third molar extraction.