Ethics Rounds: Death After Pediatric Dental Anesthesia: An Avoidable Tragedy?
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
12-2017
Identifier
DOI: 10.1542/peds.2017-2370
Abstract
Early childhood caries (ECC) is the single most common chronic childhood disease. In the treatment of ECC, children are often given moderate sedation or general anesthesia. An estimated 100 000 to 250 000 pediatric dental sedations are performed annually in the United States. The most common medications are benzodiazepines, opioids, local anesthetics, and nitrous oxide. All are associated with serious adverse events, including hypoxemia, respiratory depression, airway obstruction, and death. There is no mandated reporting of adverse events or deaths, so we don't know how often these occur. In this article, we present a case of a death after dental anesthesia and ask experts to speculate on how to improve the quality and safety of both the prevention and treatment of ECC.
Journal Title
Pediatrics
Volume
140
Issue
6
MeSH Keywords
Anesthesia, Dental; Child, Preschool; Dental Caries; Fatal Outcome; Humans; Male; Pain
Keywords
Anesthesia, Dental; Child, Preschool; Dental Caries; Fatal Outcome; Humans; Male; Pain
Recommended Citation
Lee H, Milgrom P, Huebner CE, et al. Ethics Rounds: Death After Pediatric Dental Anesthesia: An Avoidable Tragedy?. Pediatrics. 2017;140(6):e20172370. doi:10.1542/peds.2017-2370
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