Is sedation safe for children undergoing dental procedures or medical tests like MRIs?
Generally, yes. But better monitoring of children during these procedures is essential, as the death last fall of a 5-year-old Chicago girl following sedation for dental work shows. Late last year, shortly after the girl’s death, two major groups, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, came out with joint guidelines that had long been in the works to make pediatric sedation safer. The primary author of these, and previous, guidelines, Dr. Charles Coté , a pediatrician and anesthesiologist at Massachusetts General Hospital, said that the new guidelines represent “a huge step in the right direction.” In part, he said, that’s because they make clear that medical personnel administering sedation to children should follow the same rules whether the procedure takes place in a hospital or in a private medical or dental office. The guidelines do not have the force of law, but many states use the guidelines in creating laws governing practice. Childr
