The efficacy and safety of intravenous sedation in children under the age of 10 years

Abstract

This study was done to show that sedation is a safe and a viable option in young children. Dental procedures were done on children aged two to ten years. Two hundred children were included in the study. In all of these children the procedures were completed. Only two children were excluded, because an intravenous line could not be placed on the one child, and the other child was unmanageable under sedation. The safety of sedation was evaluated looking at the incidence of adverse events and complications. No serious adverse effects or complications occurred. The complications that occurred were all corrected with minimal or non-invasive interventions. Only six of the two hundred children required oxygen to correct a drop in oxygen saturation.