The Role of Intravenous Sedation in Postoperative Recovery, after Wisdom Teeth Surgery

Abstract

Some apprehensive patients are afraid and manifest states of anxiety when faced with needing oral surgery procedures. Sedation/analgesia techniques such as intravenous sedation allow eliminating feelings of anguish, anxiety, tension, and fear of surgical procedures. On a practical level, sedation by inhalation of the N2O/O2 mixture (i.e. nitrous oxide) remains the most suitable medicine and oral surgery technique to induce minimal to moderate sedation. To achieve deeper and sufficient levels of sedation, dexmedetomidine and midazolam are the drugs of choice. They would be the molecules that would make it possible to obtain the best results for the outpatient management of patients exposed to an anxiety-provoking surgical act. Once this review has been carried out, we find that in different countries, current legal regulations establish that to apply intravenous sedation, a qualified multidisciplinary team, specific physical equipment, and adequate infrastructure are needed. The use of the multidisciplinary team to apply intravenous sedation in wisdom teeth surgery or other dental surgery is made up of the anesthesiologist, the oral surgeon, the assistant surgeon, and auxiliary personnel, where the integration must be of such quality that it allows them to recognise and treat possible systemic and local complications that could present on the patient, derived from such practice. Each of the multidisciplinary team members' presence and function will allow the application of intravenous sedation safely and effectively without adding to greater risk than the minimum inherent in the surgery performed.

Some apprehensive patients are afraid and manifest states of anxiety when faced with needing oral surgery procedures. Sedation/analgesia techniques such as intravenous sedation allow eliminating feelings of anguish, anxiety, tension, and fear of surgical procedures. On a practical level, sedation by inhalation of the N2O/O2 mixture (i.e. nitrous oxide) remains the most suitable medicine and oral surgery technique to induce minimal to moderate sedation. To achieve deeper and sufficient levels of sedation, dexmedetomidine and midazolam are the drugs of choice. They would be the molecules that would make it possible to obtain the best results for the outpatient management of patients exposed to an anxiety-provoking surgical act. Once this review has been carried out, we find that in different countries, current legal regulations establish that to apply intravenous sedation, a qualified multidisciplinary team, specific physical equipment, and adequate infrastructure are needed. The use of the multidisciplinary team to apply intravenous sedation in wisdom teeth surgery or other dental surgery is made up of the anesthesiologist, the oral surgeon, the assistant surgeon, and auxiliary personnel, where the integration must be of such quality that it allows them to recognise and treat possible systemic and local complications that could present on the patient, derived from such practice. Each of the multidisciplinary team members' presence and function will allow the application of intravenous sedation safely and effectively without adding to greater risk than the minimum inherent in the surgery performed.