The effects of oral conscious sedation on future behavior and anxiety in pediatric dental patients.

Purpose: This study investigated the relationship between oral conscious sedation and subsequent behavior in the dental setting.

Methods: The sample consisted of 38 children between the ages of 39 to 71 months (mean=50 months) who had been treated with oral sedation 2 to 34 months(mean=13 months) previously, and a control group of 38 children, matched by age (mean=51 months) and gender, who had received dental treatment without conscious sedation or general anesthesia one week to 3 years previously. Subjects were matched by age and gender.