Adverse Events in Pediatric Dentistry: An Exploratory Study

Existing studies on adverse events (AEs) in pediatric dentistry have been limited in scope. The purpose of this study was to develop a comprehensive list of pediatric dental adverse events and assess their occurrences among pediatric dentists. This study developed the first inventory of pediatric dental adverse events. Over a three-month period, semistructured interviews were conducted with domain expert pediatric dentists to develop a comprehensive list of AEs occurring in pediatric dentistry. American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) members were invited to complete a validated 15-item survey about their experience with pediatric dental AEs. Data analysis was performed to determine the percentage of pediatric dentists experiencing AEs. A total of 193 pediatric dental AEs were identified through interviews and surveys; 1,042 AAPD members completed the survey (response rate equals 16.3 percent). The most common AEs experienced were post-treatment soft tissue trauma (86.1 percent), nicking/damaging of adjacent teeth (52.0 percent), and intraoperative soft tissue damage (47.1 percent). The least commonly experienced AEs were patients requiring CPR (0.5 percent) and patients aspirating materials (0.4 percent). A significant proportion of pediatric dentists experienced adverse events, and a small but poignant number indicated that their patients faced moderate to severe AEs.