Letter to the Editor

Anesthesia Progress recently published an article titled “Comparing the Efficiencies of Third Molar Surgeries With and Without a Dentist Anesthesiologist.”1 The introduction of this retrospective analysis refers to an article published by Bennett et al2 in the Journal of the American Dental Association that asked the question as to the safety of deep sedation or general anesthesia in the dental office. In that article, the authors provide OMSNIC data, which has been shared at numerous meetings of the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons and American Dental Society of Anesthesiology. The numbers reported that of an estimated 39.4 million anesthetics administered over a 14-year period, there were 113 cases that resulted in death or brain injury, which is an occurrence of 1 injury per approximately 350,000 anesthetic procedures or 1 injury every 6.4 weeks. Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery National Insurance Company (OMSNIC) insures an estimated 80% of practicing surgeons. The authors, therefore, estimated that if the 20% of oral and maxillofacial surgeons not insured by OMSNIC had a comparable occurrence, the potential anesthetic morbidity and mortality would approach 1 occurrence every 5.4 weeks. Unfortunately, as Bennett et al stated, a national safety center in which anesthetic outcome is assessed is not available