Mortality and Morbidity Associated With Out-of-Hospital Deep Sedation and General Anesthesia for Dental Treatment: A 36-Year Retrospective Study in British Columbia, Canada (1984-2019).

Objective: Previous studies in Canada suggest that mortality and serious morbidity during deep sedation and/or general anesthesia (DS/GA) for dentistry in out-of-hospital facilities are low. The purpose of this study was to estimate the period prevalence of mortality and serious morbidity associated with outpatient DS/GA for dentistry in British Columbia, Canada. Methods: Events were identified by retrospectively searching the Chief Coroner of British Columbia database from 1987 to 2019, the College of Dental Surgeons of British Columbia database from 1984 to 2019, and gray literature from 1984 to 2019. A survey of DS/GA providers was conducted to estimate the number of DS/GA procedures provided. Results: A total of 3 linked mortality events in which anesthesia could not be ruled out as a contributing factor were identified. No cases of serious morbidity met the inclusion criteria for the study. An estimated 1,019,853 out-of-hospital DS/GA procedures for dental treatment were provided during the study period. This study estimated a period prevalence of mortality and serious morbidity of 2.94 per 1 million out-of-hospital DS/GA procedures for dental treatment when administered by qualified providers over the 36-year study period. Conclusion: These findings suggest that the provision of out-of-hospital DS/GA for dental treatment in British Columbia carries a low risk of mortality or serious morbidity.