Sedation for outpatient dental procedures.

Pain and anxiety in the dental setting prevent many patients from seeking needed treatment. As a result, various techniques of anesthesia or sedation have been developed over the last 150 years to overcome this problem. Both the historic evolution of sedation and the use of several currently popular techniques are described in this article.

Pharmacosedation.

Anesthesia and pain control are a critical part of dental practice. This article reviews inhalation, intravenous and oral sedative agents and techniques.