Sedation in dentistry. Part 2: Management of the gagging patient

Sedation should be considered as a useful part of the general dental practitioner's armamentarium and as an important alternative to general anaesthesia in selected cases. In this, one of a series of articles on the uses of sedation in various circumstances, the management of the gagging patient is discussed. The many factors involved in the aetiology of the hyperactive gag response are reviewed and measures for dealing with it suggested.