Pre-operative Assessment: The Key to Safe Sedation Outcomes

Midazolam is a very safe drug by all counts. A sound knowledge of the child’s systemic background will further enhance its safety profile by aiding the clinician select cases confidently or refer the child for further medical evaluation, when in doubt. Either ways, a structured pre-operative assessment will, as the title of the chapter suggests, be the key for safe sedation outcomes. This chapter is intended to systematically structure pre-operative assessment, prior to sedation in the dental OPD. The importance of categorizing the child under the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) classification and the steps to get there is explained. The steps are practical and can be easily accomplished in a dental office. The auscultation process, which is infrequently discussed in a pediatric dental curriculum prior to planning sedation, is also explained and simplified in this chapter.