Could conscious sedation with midazolam for dental procedures be an alternative to general anesthesia?

The aim of our study was to evaluate the likelihood that conscious sedation (CS) with intravenous midazolam could become an alternative modality to general anesthesia (GA) for dental procedures. In our study, 58 and 47 American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA)-1 pediatric patients, aged 2-12 (mean 6) years, underwent dental procedures and minor oral surgical procedures under GA and CS with intravenous midazolam, respectively. The two groups were evaluated in terms of vital signs, duration of the treatment procedure, patient behavior, and the treatment comfort experienced by the physicians. The oxygen saturation level was significantly lower (GA: 99.0 ± 0.30, CS: 98.4 ± 1.02; P < 0.001) and the duration of the treatment procedure was significantly shorter (P < 0.001) in the sedation group compared with the GA group. The physicians encountered various difficulties during implementation of the treatment strategy in cases where they used CS. Minor oral surgical procedures and tooth extraction processes requiring no saline irrigation, however, could be performed successfully under CS. In cases requiring multiple dental management issues, the sedation method was not found to be a useful alternative to GA.