What is Oral Conscious Sedation? Am I a candidate, and is it safe?
Oral conscious sedation is defined as a minimally depressed level of consciousness that retains the patient’s ability to independently and continuously maintain an airway and respond appropriately to physical stimulation or verbal command. This level of consciousness can be reached by using orally administered anti-anxiety drugs, antihistamines, and nitrous oxide (laughing gas), or a combination of these. There has never been a documented report of a serious adverse incident (mortality or serious morbidity) due to the use of oral sedation in adults. DOCS (Dental Organization for Conscious Sedation) members alone have completed an estimated 1,000,000 successful sedation procedures over the past six years. Patients’ vital signs are continuously monitored during the procedure using a pulse oximeter/blood pressure monitor. This monitor is easy to use, yet sophisticated enough to measure blood pressure every five minutes and continuously measure pulse rate and blood oxygen before, during an
