Children's experiences with conscious sedation in dental care: a Norwegian cross-sectional study

This study explores how 9- and 17-year-olds in Norway experience conscious sedation during dental treatment, examining its impact on treatment ease, perceived ability to refuse, and memory retention.

A cross-sectional electronic questionnaire was distributed to 13,013 children and adolescents (6,686 9-year-olds and 6,327 17-year-olds) in the Public Dental Service of Hordaland County, Norway, in 2019. Response rates were 65.6% for 9-year-olds and 52.2% for 17-year-olds. The survey included validated instruments for dental fear and nonvalidated items assessing subjective sedation experiences. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, chi-squared tests, and Mann-Whitney U-tests.

Of the respondents, 13.6% (n = 596) of the 9-year-olds and 9.5% (n = 313) of the 17-year-olds reported having undergone dental treatment with conscious sedation. Among them, 67.4% felt sedation made treatment easier, while 8.5% found it difficult to refuse treatment under sedation. A total of 51.2% remembered the treatment, and memory retention was associated with higher levels of dental fear (p < 0.001).

While conscious sedation is perceived to facilitate dental treatment for many children, a large proportion retain memories of the treatment, particularly those with high dental fear. This highlights the importance of understanding children's subjective experiences to improve sedation practices.