Sedate or Not? A Practical Guide to Patient Selection and Pre-Screening for Dental Sedation
Location: IMAN Cultural Center
3376 Motor Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90034
October 7, 2026
Time: 6 PM to 9 PM
CEUs: 2 CE
Meal: Food will be provided
Cost:
FREE for Members
$95 for Non-members
Description
Not every patient who struggles in the dental chair needs sedation, but recognizing the patients who may benefit from it, and determining whether they are appropriate candidates, is an important part of safe and effective dental care.
This course will provide dental professionals with a practical framework for identifying and pre-screening patients who may require sedation or anesthesia to successfully complete dental treatment. We will discuss the medical, behavioral, developmental, and procedural factors that should prompt a provider to consider sedation, as well as the red flags that may indicate a patient requires additional medical evaluation, a different anesthetic approach, or treatment in a more appropriate setting.
Attendees will learn what to look for during the initial consultation, which questions to ask before referring or scheduling a sedation case, and how factors such as medical history, airway considerations, obstructive sleep apnea, BMI, medications, previous anesthesia experiences, dental anxiety, cooperation level, and anticipated treatment complexity can influence patient selection.
The goal is to give providers a simple, clinically useful approach to answering three questions:
- Does this patient need sedation or anesthesia to successfully complete treatment?
- Is this patient an appropriate candidate for office-based sedation or anesthesia?
- Are there any red flags that should be addressed before proceeding?
By improving the pre-screening process, dental teams can make better referrals, reduce day-of-treatment cancellations, anticipate potential complications, and most importantly, provide safer care for their patients.
Bio
Dr. Rachelle Kim is a board-certified dentist anesthesiologist providing mobile and office-based anesthesia services throughout Southern California. She specializes in the perioperative management of pediatric, adult, special-needs, and medically complex patients who require sedation or general anesthesia to safely and comfortably complete dental treatment.
Her clinical experience includes caring for patients with significant dental anxiety, behavioral or developmental challenges, severe gag reflexes, extensive treatment needs, and medical considerations that may complicate routine dental care. Working alongside general dentists and dental specialists, Dr. Kim has developed a practical approach to identifying appropriate candidates for sedation and recognizing when a patient may require a higher level of anesthetic care.
Dr. Kim is passionate about helping dental providers improve patient safety through thoughtful preoperative screening, appropriate case selection, and early recognition of medical and behavioral risk factors.
