Sedating a Small Child for Dental Work Should Be the Last Resort
The New York Times reports that some dentists are concerned that sedation and anesthesia are “overused as profit-making tools,” which can be dangerous or even deadly for children. A University of Washington study found 44 cases over three decades in which patients died after sedation or general anesthesia during dental work. Most of these patients were between two and five years old.
One pediatric dentist explained that children under the age of six have less oxygen in their blood than older children or adults, so their bodies cannot compensate for the short supply of oxygen. Experts say sedation should not be a first-line treatment – instead, parents should consider and discuss alternatives such as silver diamine fluoride , a liquid that can be brushed onto less developed cavities to stop an infection, or temporary filling until the baby recovers … old enough to sit in one place for a normal one.
Should children take a sedative for dental work? | New York Times