SynthesisBMJ open2021
Effectiveness and safety of oral sedation in adult patients undergoing dental procedures: a systematic review.
Synthesis in BMJ open, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed, 14 citations in OpenAlex.
- The median effective dose (EDBMC anesthesiology · 2026Article
- Autonomic cardiovascular mechanisms linked to stress in dental practice.British dental journal · 2026Review
- Evaluation of dental treatments under nitrous oxide-oxygen inhalation sedation in pediatric patients with dental anxiety: a 10-Year retrospective study.BMC oral health · 2025Article
- Safety and Efficacy of Different Sedation Protocols in Managing Dental Anxiety in Adult Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of pharmacy & bioallied sciences · 2025Article
- Article
- Sedation of Adults with Orally Administered Midazolam in Dentistry - A Retrospective Study.Acta odontologica Scandinavica · 2024Article
- Physiological reaction of anxious patients taking sedative medications before and after periodontal surgery.Journal of dental sciences · 2023Article
- Estimating the Need for Sedation in Patients with Dental Anxiety and Medical Complexities Reporting to Tertiary Care Dental Hospital Using the IOSN Tool.International journal of dentistry · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesIt can be challenging to manage patients who are anxious during dental procedures. There is a lack of evidence regarding the effectiveness and safety of oral sedation in adults. This study evaluated the effectiveness and safety of oral sedation in patients undergoing dental procedures.
designSystematic review.
methodsRandomised clinical trials (RCTs) compared the oral use of benzodiazepines and other medications with a placebo or other oral agents in adult patients. A search of the Cochrane (CENTRAL), MEDLINE (via Ovid), EMBASE (via Ovid) and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (via Ovid) databases was conducted, without any restrictions on language or date of publication. The primary outcomes included the adverse effects and anxiety level. The secondary outcomes included sedation, satisfaction with the treatment, heart rate, respiratory rate, blood pressure and oxygen saturation. Reviewers, independently and in pairs, assessed each citation for eligibility, performed the data extraction and assessed the risk of bias. A narrative synthesis of the data was provided.
resultsA number of RCTs (n=327 patients) assessed the use of benzodiazepines (n=9) and herbal medicines (n=3). We found good satisfaction with treatment after the use of midazolam 7.5 mg or clonidine 150 µg and reduced anxiety with alprazolam (0.5 and 0.75 mg). Midazolam 15 mg promoted greater anxiety reduction than
conclusionsGiven the limitations of the findings due to the quality of the included studies and the different comparisons made between interventions, further RCTs are required to confirm the effectiveness and safety of oral sedation in dentistry. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42017057142.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.