The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) issued guidelines in June for deep sedation and anesthesia of children undergoing dental procedures that now have the endorsement of four additional health organizations.
In a joint statement, the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA), the Society for Pediatric Anesthesia, the American Society of Dentist Anesthesiologists, and the Society for Pediatric Sedation join the AAP in endorsing guidelines that recommend that at least two people with specific training and credentials should be present with a pediatric patient undergoing deep sedation or general anesthesia for dental treatment in a dental facility or hospital.
The recommendations can be found in the 2019 clinical report, “Guidelines for Monitoring and Management of Pediatric Patients Before, During, and After Sedation for Diagnostic and Therapeutic Procedures,” which were co-written by the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD). The guidelines also clarify that deep sedation or general anesthesia must be administered by a qualified anesthesia provider (a physician anesthesiologist, certified registered nurse anesthetist, dentist anesthesiologist or second oral surgeon).
The six health organizations recommend that pediatric patients requiring deep sedation or general anesthesia for dental procedures require a second, well-trained professional capable of monitoring the patient, managing the airway, establishing venous access for the administration of rescue medications, and resuscitation.
This approach, called the multi-provider team-based safe practice model, requires that the dental surgeon and the professional who is monitoring and sedating the patient are two distinct individuals with separate tasks.
“We are pleased with the support from these influential health organizations on dental sedation guidelines, which take into account the unique vulnerabilities of children,” said Kyle Yasuda, M.D., president of the AAP. “As health care providers, we share a desire for children to receive close supervised care led by a team of skilled professionals.”
“We’re excited to be working with these important health care groups to take an important step in furthering the safety of children who undergo deep sedation and general anesthesia for dental procedures,” said ASA President Linda J. Mason, M.D., FASA. “There are real risks associated with one dental provider doing both the procedure and monitoring the patient’s vitals. Our collective endorsement of the guidelines illustrates the necessity of having a dedicated, qualified anesthesia provider monitor the child to reduce the risk of adverse events and to manage any complications.”
To view the endorsement, go to: https://www.asahq.org/advocacy-and-asapac/advocacy-topics/office-based-anesthesia-and-dental-anesthesia/joint-statement-pediatric-dental-sedation
ABOUT THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS
The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 67,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults. For more information, visit www.aap.org.
ABOUT THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF ANESTHESIOLOGISTS
Founded in 1905, the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) is an educational, research and scientific society with more than 53,000 members organized to raise and maintain the standards of the medical practice of anesthesiology. ASA is committed to ensuring physician anesthesiologists evaluate and supervise the medical care of patients before, during and after surgery to provide the highest quality and safest care every patient deserves. For more information on the field of anesthesiology, visit the American Society of Anesthesiologists online at asahq.org. To learn more about the role physician anesthesiologists play in ensuring patient safety, visit asahq.org/WhenSecondsCount. Like ASA on Facebook and follow ASALifeline on Twitter.
ABOUT THE SOCIETY FOR PEDIATRIC ANESTHESIA
The mission of the Society for Pediatric Anesthesia (SPA), a non-profit medical specialty society founded in 1986, is to continually advance the safety and quality of anesthetic care, perioperative management, and alleviation of pain in children. The Society serves 3,350 members through continuing medical education activities, research opportunities and networking. For more information call 804-282-9780 or visit www.pedsanesthesia.org.
ABOUT THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF DENTIST ANESTHESIOLOGISTS
The American Society of Dentist Anesthesiologists (ASDA) is the official organization representing dentists who have received formal, 3-year accredited post-doctoral and hospital-based training in the management of dental patients with sedation and general anesthesia. Dental anesthesiology is a recognized specialty of dentistry encompassing the art and science of managing pain, anxiety, and overall patient health during dental, oral, maxillofacial and adjunctive surgical or diagnostic procedures throughout the entire perioperative period. The ASDA is dedicated to promoting patient safety as well as access to care for all dental patients, including the very young and patients with special health care needs. More information regarding the ASDA can be found at www.asdahq.org, or follow ASDA on Twitter: @asdahq.
ABOUT THE SOCIETY FOR PEDIATRIC SEDATION
The Society for Pediatric Sedation (SPS) is an international multidisciplinary organization whose mission is the advancement of pediatric sedation by promoting safe, high quality care, innovative research and quality professional education. The Society’s multidisciplinary membership includes anesthesiology, critical care, emergency medicine, and hospitalist physicians as well as dentists, sedation nurses, nurse practitioners and child life specialists. For more information, visit www.pedsedation.org and follow SPS on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
