A 10-Year Study Assessing the Adverse Events of Moderate Sedation in Pediatric Dentistry

Purpose: This retrospective study assessed the presence of adverse events during moderate sedation for pediatric dental procedures performed in a dental clinic. Methods: Dental treatment completed with sedation between June 2014 to November 2024 was assessed for the presence of any adverse events (AEs). AEs were classified by the modified Tracking and Reporting Outcomes of Procedural Sedation (TROOPS) scale and an adverse event list from the Pediatric Sedation Research Consortium (PSRC). Results: There were 923 completed patient sedation records between the ages of 2 and 16 years from 9 different sedation regimens within the dental clinic included in this study. Overall, the proportion of adverse events was low (4.55%) with an increase in AE with the intranasal dexmedetomidine/orally administered midazolam (odds ratio [OR]=4.7, P<0.01) and a decrease in AE with triazolam (OR equals 0.2, P<0.01). No adverse events required medical intervention. Conclusions: Overall, adverse event proportions were low with pediatric dental moderate sedation supporting the safety of this modality of treatment. More studies are needed to assess adverse events and adverse event scales in pediatric dental sedation.