Dental treatment is often performed under general anesthesia or sedation when an intellectually disabled patient has a heightened fear of treatment or has difficulty cooperating. When it is impossible to control the patient due to the severity of intellectual disability, conscious sedation is not a viable option, and only deep sedation should be performed. Deep sedation is usually achieved by propofol infusion using the target controlled infusion (TCI) system, with deep sedation being achieved at a slightly lower concentration of propofol in disabled patients. In such cases, anesthesia depth monitoring using EEG, as with a Bispectral Index (BIS) monitor, can enable dental treatment under appropriate sedation depth. In the present case, we performed deep sedation for dental treatment on a 27-year-old female patient with mental retardation and severe dental phobia. During sedation, we used BIS and a newly developed Anesthetic Depth Monitor for Sedation (ADMS™), in addition to electrocardiography, pulse oximetry, blood pressure monitoring, and capnometry for patient safety. Oxygen was administered via nasal prong to prevent hypoxemia during sedation. The BIS and ADMS™ values were maintained at approximately 70, and dental treatment was successfully performed in approximately 30 min..
Adult ; Anesthesia ; Anesthesia, General ; Anoxia ; Blood Pressure Monitors ; Conscious Sedation ; Deep Sedation ; Dental Anxiety ; Electrocardiography ; Electroencephalography ; Female ; Humans ; Intellectual Disability ; Oximetry ; Oxygen ; Patient Safety ; Propofol

Dentists often sedate patients in order to reduce their dental phobia and stress during dental treatment. Sedatives are administered through various routes such as oral, inhalation, and intravenous routes. Intravenous administration has the advantage of rapid onset of action, predictable duration of action, and easy titration. Typically, midazolam, propofol or dexmedetomidine are used as intravenous sedatives. Administration of these sedatives via infusion by using a syringe pump is more effective and successful than infusing them as a bolus. However, during intravenous infusion of sedatives or opioids using a syringe pump, fatal accidents may occur due to the clinician's carelessness. To prevent such risks, smart syringe pumps have been introduced clinically. They allow clinicians to perform effective sedation by using a computer to control the dose of the drug being infused. To ensure patient safety, various alarm features along with a drug library, which provides drug information and prevents excessive infusion by limiting the dose, have been added to smart pumps. In addition, programmed infusion systems and target-controlled infusion systems have also been developed to enable effective administration of sedatives. Patient-controlled infusion, which allows a patient to control his/her level of sedation through self-infusion, has also been developed. Safer and more successful sedation may be achieved by fully utilizing these new features of the smart pump.
Administration, Intravenous ; Analgesics, Opioid ; Dental Anxiety ; Dentists ; Dexmedetomidine ; Humans ; Hypnotics and Sedatives ; Infusion Pumps ; Infusions, Intravenous ; Inhalation ; Midazolam ; Patient Safety ; Propofol ; Syringes*

Orofacial pain is a common complaint of patients that causes distress and compromises the quality of life. It has many etiologies including trauma, interventional procedures, nerve injury, varicella-zoster (shingles), tumor, and vascular and idiopathic factors. It has been demonstrated that the sympathetic nervous system is usually involved in various orofacial pain disorders such as postherpetic neuralgia, complex regional pain syndromes, and atypical facial pain. The stellate sympathetic ganglion innervates the head, neck, and upper extremity. In this review article, the effect of stellate ganglion block and its mechanism of action in orofacial pain disorders are discussed.
Complex Regional Pain Syndromes ; Facial Pain* ; Ganglia, Sympathetic ; Head ; Humans ; Neck ; Neuralgia, Postherpetic ; Quality of Life ; Stellate Ganglion* ; Sympathetic Nervous System ; Upper Extremity

Botulinum toxin (BT) was the first toxin to be used in the history of human medicine. Among the eight known serotypes of this toxin, those currently used in medicine are types A and B. This review article mainly discusses BT type A (BTA) because it is usually used in dentistry including dental anesthesiology and oral and maxillofacial surgery. BTA has been used mainly in the treatment of temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD) and hypertrophy and hyperactivity of the masticatory muscles, along with being a therapeutic option to relieve pain and help in functional recovery from dental and oral and maxillofacial surgery. However, it is currently used broadly for cosmetic purposes such as reducing facial wrinkles and asymmetry. Although the therapeutic effect of BTA is temporary and relatively safe, it is essential to have knowledge about related anatomy, as well as the systemic and local adverse effects of medications that are applied to the face.
Anesthesiology ; Botulinum Toxins* ; Dentistry* ; Humans ; Hypertrophy ; Masticatory Muscles ; Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons ; Serogroup ; Surgery, Oral* ; Temporomandibular Joint Disorders

Pulseless electrical activity (PEA) is a clinical condition characterized by unresponsiveness and lack of palpable pulse in the presence of organized cardiac electrical activity and is caused by a profound cardiovascular insult (e.g., severe prolonged hypoxia or acidosis, extreme hypovolemia, or flow-restricting pulmonary embolus). Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a disease that is characterized by progressive degeneration of all levels of the motor nervous system. Damage to the respiratory system and weakness of the muscles may increase the likelihood of an emergency situation occurring in patients with ALS while under general anesthesia. We report a case of PEA during the induction of general anesthesia in a patient with ALS who presented for dental treatment and discuss the causes of PEA and necessary considerations for general anesthesia in patients with ALS.
Acidosis ; Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis* ; Anesthesia, General* ; Anoxia ; Emergencies ; Humans ; Hypovolemia ; Muscles ; Nervous System ; Peas ; Respiratory System

Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome is a rare hereditary disease that results from a 4p chromosome deletion. Patients with this syndrome are characterized by craniofacial dysgenesis, seizures, growth delay, intellectual disability, and congenital heart disease. Although several cases have been reported, very little information is available on anesthetic management for patients with Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome. We encountered a case requiring anesthetic management for a 2-year-old girl with Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome. The selection of an appropriately sized tracheal tube and maintaining intraoperatively stable hemodynamics might be critical problems for anesthetic management. In patients with short stature, the tracheal tube size may differ from what may be predicted based on age. The appropriate size ( internal diameter ) of tracheal tubes for children has been investigated. Congenital heart disease is frequently associated with Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome. Depending on the degree and type of heart disease, careful monitoring of hemodynamics is important.
Anesthesia, General ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Chromosome Deletion ; Female ; Genetic Diseases, Inborn ; Heart Defects, Congenital ; Heart Diseases ; Hemodynamics ; Humans ; Intellectual Disability ; Intubation, Intratracheal ; Seizures ; Wolf-Hirschhorn Syndrome*

The inferior alveolar nerve block is the most common method of local anesthesia for intraoral surgery at the posterior mandibular region. However, unexpected complications may occur when administering the local anesthesia. One of these uncommon complications is the fracture of the needle. If the injection needle is broken during the surgery, it should be removed immediately. However, this is one of the most difficult procedures. In this report, we present two cases of needle fracture during the procedure, and its successful removal under general/local anesthesia administration.
Anesthesia ; Anesthesia, Local ; Mandibular Nerve* ; Methods ; Needles* ; Nerve Block

In cases of multiple facial trauma and other specific cases, the anesthesiologist may be asked to convert an oral endotracheal tube to a nasal endotracheal tube or vice versa. Conventionally, the patient is simply extubated and the endotracheal tube is re-inserted along either the oral or nasal route. However, the task of airway management can become difficult due to surgical trauma or worsening of the airway condition. Fiberoptic bronchoscopy was considered a novel method of airway conversion but this method is not useful when there are secretions and bleeding in the airway, or if the anesthesiologist is inexperienced in using this device. We report a successful airway conversion under the aid of both, a fiberoptic bronchoscope and a C-MAC video laryngoscope.
Airway Management ; Bronchoscopes* ; Bronchoscopy ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Intubation, Intratracheal ; Laryngoscopes* ; Methods

Branchio-oto-renal syndrome (BOR) is a rare autosomal dominant disorder. The features include branchial cysts, hearing loss, ear malformation, preauricular pits, retrognathia, congenital heart disease, and renal abnormalities. However, anesthetic management of these patients has seldom been reported. We report a case in which general anesthesia was performed for dental treatment in a patient with BOR. Airway management, renal function, and hemodynamic changes can be of critical concern during anesthetic management. A 13-year-old girl diagnosed with BOR had severe right hearing loss, right external ear malformation, renal abnormalities, and postoperative patent ductus arteriosus (PDA). Dental extraction under general anesthesia was scheduled for a supernumerary tooth. The procedure was completed with sufficient urine volume, adequate airway management, and stable hemodynamics.
Adolescent ; Airway Management ; Anesthesia, General ; Branchio-Oto-Renal Syndrome ; Branchioma ; Ductus Arteriosus, Patent ; Ear ; Ear, External ; Female ; Hearing Loss ; Heart Defects, Congenital ; Hemodynamics ; Humans ; Renal Insufficiency ; Retrognathia ; Tooth, Supernumerary

BACKGROUND: This study retrospectively investigated outcomes following dental implantation in patients with special needs who required general anesthesia to enable treatment. METHODS: Patients underwent implant treatment under general anesthesia at the Clinic for the Disabled in Seoul National University Dental Hospital between January 2004 and June 2017. The study analyzed medical records and radiographs. Implant survival rates were calculated by applying criteria for success or failure. RESULTS: Of 19 patients in the study, 8 were males and 11 were females, with a mean age of 32.9 years. The patients included 11 with mental retardation, 3 with autism, 2 with cerebral palsy, 2 with schizophrenia, and 1 with a brain disorder; 2 patients also had seizure disorders. All were incapable of oral self-care due to serious cognitive impairment and could not cooperate with normal dental treatment. A total of 27 rounds of general anesthesia and 1 round of intravenous sedation were performed for implant surgery. Implant placement was performed in 3 patients whose prosthesis records could not be found, while 3 other patients had less than 1 year of follow-up after prosthetic treatment. When the criteria for implant success or failure were applied in 13 remaining patients, 3 implant failures occurred in 59 total treatments. The cumulative survival rate of implants over an average of 43.3 months (15-116 months) was 94.9%. CONCLUSIONS: For patients with severe cognitive impairment who are incapable of oral self-care, implant treatment under general anesthesia showed a favorable prognosis.
Anesthesia, General* ; Autistic Disorder ; Brain Diseases ; Cerebral Palsy ; Cognition Disorders ; Dental Implantation ; Dental Implants* ; Disabled Persons ; Epilepsy ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Intellectual Disability ; Male ; Medical Records ; Prognosis* ; Prostheses and Implants ; Retrospective Studies ; Schizophrenia ; Self Care ; Seoul ; Survival Rate