Endodontists' Intravenous Sedation-related Attitudes and Professional Behavior: A National Survey

Research shows that a high percentage of endodontic patients are interested in receiving intravenous (IV) sedation. The objectives of this study were to assess endodontists' IV sedation-related education, attitudes, and professional behavior and to explore whether providing versus not offering IV sedation procedures was associated with IV-related education and attitudes and whether background characteristics and education were related with IV sedation attitudes and behavior.

Data were collected with an anonymous Web-based survey from 616 members of the American Association of Endodontists (response rate = 29%).

Only 10% of respondents agreed/strongly agreed that they had adequate training in IV sedation. However, 48% agreed/strongly agreed that there was a need for IV sedation in their practice. Although 69% did not offer IV sedation, 26% had another professional provide it, and 4% provided it themselves. These 3 groups of providers differed in the mean quality of their IV sedation-related education (scale from 1-5 with 5 = best education: 1.50 vs 1.62/2.37, P < .001) and the positivity of their attitudes toward IV sedation (2.90 vs 3.50/4.21, P < .001). Although the quality of IV sedation education was not correlated with the graduation year, the more recently respondents had graduated, the more positive they were toward providing education about IV sedation (r = .16, P < .001).

Most endodontists did not evaluate their IV sedation-related graduate education positively. However, nearly half acknowledged the need for IV sedation in endodontics. The more recently they graduated, the more they agreed that IV sedation-related graduate education was needed but also that staff training and maintenance of equipment would be a problem.