Mortality and Morbidity in Office-Based Deep Sedation and General Anaesthesia for Dentistry in Ontario

Objectives: To estimate the prevalence of mortality and serious morbidity for office-based deep sedation and general anesthesia (DS/GA) for dentistry in Ontario from 1996-2015. Materials Methods: Data were collected retrospectively in two phases. In Phase I, cases involving injury or death for dentistry under DS/GA, sourced from the Chief Coroner of Ontario and the Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario were reviewed. Phase II involved a survey of all registered providers of DS/GA where they estimated the number of DS/GA administered. Prevalence was calculated using Phase I and Phase II findings. Results: The estimated prevalence of mortality is 0.8 deaths per 1 million cases, and the estimated prevalence of serious morbidity is 0.25 per 1 million cases. Conclusions: The mortality and morbidity rates found in this study fit within the lower end of the range of mortality and morbidity reported by similar studies for office-based DS/GA in dentistry.M.Sc