Prevalence and Risk Factors of Adverse Events in Procedural Sedation Outside the Operating Room for Pediatric Dental Procedures

Q: What is the clinical evidence from this study?

Study design: Observational. Population: Pediatric dental procedures requiring procedural sedation (n=3548). Intervention: Procedural sedation outside of the operating room (PSOOR). Primary outcome: Occurrence of one or more adverse events (AEs).

William Sanislow; Anne Stormorken; David K. Ngendahimana; David Speicher; Kelly Kirtland; Maia Wiesenfeld; Steven L. Shein

doi:10.1097/pcc.0000000000004026

August 12, 2026Pediatric Critical Care Medicine

Prevalence and Risk Factors of Adverse Events in Procedural Sedation Outside the Operating Room for Pediatric Dental Procedures

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Key result

Pediatric dental sedation outside the OR is linked to a 31% overall adverse event rate.

n=3,548

Why the study?

To determine the prevalence and risk factors of adverse events in pediatric patients undergoing procedural sedation outside of the operating room for dental procedures.

What is the prevalence and what are the risk factors of adverse events in pediatric patients undergoing procedural sedation outside of the operating room for dental procedures?

Key Points

To evaluate the prevalence and identify risk factors for adverse events during procedural sedation outside the operating room in pediatric dental patients.
Retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data from 25 US hospitals participating in the Pediatric Sedation Research Consortium from July 2020 to June 2024.
Included N = 3,548 pediatric patients undergoing procedural sedation outside the operating room for dental procedures.
Assessed overall and severe adverse event rates alongside multivariable modeling adjusting for confounding variables.
Adverse events occurred in 31% of dental sedations, with 5% experiencing a severe adverse event.
Most frequent severe events were complete airway obstruction (2.8%), hypoxia requiring major intervention (1.6%), and laryngospasm (0.8%).
Medication regimen, provider type, neurologic comorbidity, snoring, and obesity were significantly associated with severe adverse events in adjusted models.

Study Design

Type

Observational (n=3,548)

Multicenter

Yes

Structured PICO

What is the prevalence and what are the risk factors of adverse events in pediatric patients undergoing procedural sedation outside of the operating room for dental procedures?

P

Population

3,548 pediatric patients undergoing procedural sedation outside of the operating room for dental procedures across 25 US hospitals.

E

Exposure

Procedural sedation outside of the operating room (PSOOR) for dental procedures

O

Outcome

Occurrence of one or more adverse events (AEs), classified as either severe (including critical and high-risk events) or low-risk based on severitysafety

Pediatric patients undergoing procedural sedation outside the operating room for dental procedures experience high rates of adverse events, primarily airway-related, highlighting the need for enhanced preprocedural risk assessment.

Implication

AE rates and risk factors identified in pediatric dental PSOOR; leaves open need for prospective trials before practice change.

Discussion

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Cite This Study

Sanislow et al. (2026) conducted an observational in Pediatric dental procedures requiring procedural sedation (n=3,548). Procedural sedation outside of the operating room (PSOOR) was evaluated on Occurrence of one or more adverse events (AEs). Procedural sedation outside the operating room for pediatric dental procedures was associated with a 31% overall adverse event rate and a 5% severe adverse event rate.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a7ee587b70b84ec8b914724 https://doi.org/10.1097/pcc.0000000000004026

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Prevalence and Risk Factors of Adverse Events in Procedural Sedation Outside the Operating Room for Pediatric Dental Procedures

Key Points

Study Design

Structured PICO

Implication

Discussion

Cite This Study

Prevalence and Risk Factors of Adverse Events in Procedural Sedation Outside the Operating Room for Pediatric Dental Procedures

Key Points

Study Design

Structured PICO

Implication

Discussion

Cite This Study

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