Anaesthesia and Sedation for the Autistic Patient

Autism is a disability that affects how a person communicates and relates to the world around them. Patients on the autistic spectrum may be referred to a Special Care Dentistry service to be managed under sedation or general anaesthetic, as their visit to the dentist can be stressful and disruptive to their routine. As it is a spectrum disorder, each patient needs to be assessed individually in order to determine whether sedation or general anaesthetic would be appropriate for them. Some autistic patients may have good verbal communication and mild learning difficulties, and may be able to tolerate treatment under local anaesthetic with behavioural management alone. On the other end of the spectrum, patients with severe autism and learning difficulties may not permit the dentist to even examine them and will require a general anaesthetic. There will also be patients on the autistic spectrum who are suitable for conscious sedation depending on their level of learning difficulty and cooperation. Oral and transmucosal sedation can also be useful for providing presedation to a patient to facilitate venous access. In order to minimise distress to the patient, it is important that adequate sedation, anaesthesia and analgesia are achieved both perioperatively and post-operatively.