Data support patients’ demand for sedation during dental treatment; however, little is known about the availability and provision of sedation and general anesthesia (GA) by dentists.
Objectives: (1) to investigate the perceptions Ontario dentists have towards the use of sedation and GA for patients; (2) to investigate specific patterns of sedation and GA use in Ontario dental practices; and (3) to compare dentist and patient responses (obtained from a previous study) regarding patient preference for sedation/GA and if dentists are able to identify fear.
Method: From the provincial regulatory body’s databases, 3001 practicing dentists were invited to complete a self-administered questionnaire. A mixed mode format offered mailed and web survey options. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, means, standard deviation, and frequency. The relationship between dentist responses and demographic variables was assessed with mixed ANOVA followed by independent samples t-tests or one-way ANOVAs.
Result: Study participants (n=1076; 37.9% response rate) were 69.7% male, 83.0% general practitioners, practicing 0.5-42 years (mean 20.6 years), with 40.6% from cities >500,000. 60.2% of respondents provided sedation. Dentists estimated patients’ disinterest in sedation/GA adjuncts to be higher (66.8%) than patient stated preference (43.9%). Patients’ preference for sedation/GA by service was also underestimated for specific procedures (p<0.001) except for extractions. Barriers to care were cost (72.2%) for providers; lack of training (38.2%) and patient demand (25.3%) for non-providers. From the specified dental procedures, dentists reported use of sedation highest for extractions with nitrous oxide being most commonly used (5.7% frequency). Dentists’ (D) also overestimated patients’ (P) level of fear, reporting them to be somewhat afraid 19.95% (D) vs. 9.8% (P); very afraid 10.6% (D) vs. 2.0% (P); and terrified 6.0% (D) vs. 3.5% (P).
Conclusion: This study confirms differences between dentists’ use and estimation of patient demand for sedation/GA.