Patient Demand for Sedation May Be Greater Than Dentists Think, Studies Show

Are you missing an opportunity to enhance your patients’ experience by not discussing sedation? Instead of waiting for patients to mention it, why not take the lead and initiate the conversation? Research shows that dentists often underestimate their patients’ interest in sedation and anesthesia. This issue was recently addressed in an article in the Oral Health Journal.

According to the article, a survey of dentists and patients found that dentists tend to overestimate the percentage of patients not interested in sedation. Specifically, while dentists believed that 67% of patients would not be interested, the survey found that only 44% of patients shared this sentiment. Furthermore, the survey revealed that dentists underestimated patient interest in sedation based on cost, assuming only 20% of patients would be interested. In reality, 44% of surveyed patients expressed interest.

Interestingly, the survey found that dentists and patients had similar views regarding the percentage of patients “highly interested” in sedation or general anesthesia, 13.5% and 12.4%, respectively. This suggests that dentists better understand patients with a significant dental phobia or who require sedation for specific procedures.

Various studies have explored the link between fear levels, type of dental procedure, and patient preference for sedation. For instance, a 2005 study found that 12.4% of patients with lower fear levels were definitely interested in sedation, while 42.3% expressed interest depending on the cost. As expected, higher fear levels were associated with greater interest. For type of procedure, the more invasive it was, the higher the number of patients who were interested. For example, only 7.2% of patients expressed interest in sedation for dental cleanings, while 68.2% of patients were interested in sedation for surgery.

Despite this relationship being assumed by most dentists, the number of patients who actually received sedation was lower than that of patients who expressed interest. Overall, these findings highlight the need for dentists to better address patient interest in sedation.

While the exact cause of the disparity remains uncertain, it’s possible dental anxiety is more prevalent than previously believed or more patients desire sedation, regardless of their anxiety. Irrespective of the underlying reasons, it may be in the best interest of dentists to have more conversations about sedation with their patients. This can help ensure that patients receive the care they need while also helping to alleviate any anxiety they may have.