Effects of conscious sedation on patient recall of anxiety and pain after oral surgery.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:

This study examined the effect of conscious ("moderate") sedation with amnestic effects and local anesthetic, versus local anesthetic alone, on recall of pain and anxiety related to surgical tooth extraction. Greater anxiety and pain were hypothesized in the local anesthesia-alone group.

STUDY DESIGN:

Patients undergoing tooth extraction, receiving moderate sedation plus local anesthetic (n = 27) or local anesthetic alone (n = 27), were assessed on trait dental anxiety, preextraction state pain and anxiety, anticipated pain and anxiety, and 1-month recall of pain and anxiety.

RESULTS:

Patients with moderate sedation, compared with those administered only local anesthetic, recalled less procedural pain and anxiety after 1 month. The local anesthetic-alone group reported more preextraction pain and anticipated more procedural anxiety.

CONCLUSIONS:

Moderate sedation had the desired effect of lower recalled pain and anxiety associated with extraction, even 1 month later. Anticipating moderate sedation also prompts expectation of less anxiety during the procedure.

• Authors: Tomorrow D Wilson, Daniel W McNeil, Brandon N Kyle, Bryan D Weaver, Robert W Graves
• Journal: Oral surgery, oral medicine, oral pathology and oral radiology (Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol) Vol. 117 Issue 3 Pg. 277-82 (Mar 2014) ISSN: 2212-4411 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 24528789 (Publication Type: Comparative Study, Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Topics

• Adolescent
• Adult
• Anesthesia, Local
• Conscious Sedation
• Dental Anxiety (psychology)
• Female
• Humans
• Male
• Mental Recall
• Middle Aged
• Pain Measurement
• Pain, Postoperative (psychology)
• Prospective Studies
• Risk Factors
• Surveys and Questionnaires
• Tooth Extraction (psychology)