A treatment-completion percentage must identify whether its denominator is patients or sedation occasions.
The retrospective dental study contained 265 adults sedated on 418 occasions. Treatment was completed on 91.9% of occasions, and side effects were recorded on 2.2%. Mean doses differed between primary and specialist clinics, and patients over seventy received lower doses. Anxiety was the most common reason for sedation.
Repeated visits by the same person are not independent people. Retrospective side-effect recording may miss events that were not documented, and treatment completion was associated with the type of dental work. Clinic comparisons do not establish an optimum individual dose.
For a forensic review, retain both denominators and inspect each sedation record. Completion of dental work does not prove preserved judgment, intact memory or absence of respiratory depression. Missing weight, medical history or contemporaneous observations limit reconstruction even when the procedure was marked successful.
Source: PMC11425061, supplied full-text paper. Findings are paraphrased; forensic implications are an interpretation.
Related: Special-Needs Dental Sedation Had Few Adverse Events and Nonrandom Regimen Selection.