Anesthesia safety

Is anesthesia safe for children?

Yes, definitely. However, it is important to acknowledge that anesthesia–just like all medical procedures and most experiences in life in general–involves risks. Most such risks (e.g. sore throat for a day or two after the procedure, nausea for an hour, etc.) are relatively minor and trivial.

When parents inquire about the safety of anesthesia for children, typically they are concerned not about minor and trivial risks but rather serious and major risks (e.g. damage to the brain, impaired development, and death). We can confidently say that these kinds of major risks of permanent damage are exceedingly rare. In my 18 years of providing anesthesia to tens of thousands of patients, these kinds of outcomes have never occurred among any of my patients receiving anesthesia for dental procedures.

Perhaps an analogy would help. The risks of anesthesia are somewhat similar to the risks of driving, riding in a car, or flying in an airplane. Everybody acknowledges that all such activities involve minor risks (e.g. motion sickness) and major risks that are exceedingly rare (e.g. death). Given the rarity of any major risks, we wisely choose to routinely drive, ride in a car, and fly in an airplane.

Regardless, some parents are skittish about allowing their child to receive anesthesia due to having heard of bad outcomes involving children and dental anesthesia. Such cases in the past often involved what is known as a “single-operator anesthetist” situation. This is where the healthcare provider providing the anesthesia is the same person performing the dental procedure. (Some dentists have received training that legally allows them to administer deep levels of sedation or even general anesthesia.) Such a situation is downright dangerous and absolutely frightening due to how distracted that provider is from the anesthesia situation while performing the procedure. Along with the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, and several other professional societies, I oppose and object to the single-operator anesthetist model as dangerous to patients.

By far the best way to guarantee as much safety as possible for your child during a dental anesthetic experience is for your child’s anesthesia to be taken care of by an experienced and qualified anesthesiologist.