A follow-up survey of the teaching of conscious sedation in dental schools of the United Kingdom and Ireland.

The purpose of this follow-up study was to assess and compare the quantity and quality of dental undergraduate teaching in conscious sedation with comparisons to a previous study conducted in 1998. Questionnaires were designed to collect information about undergraduate sedation education from teaching staff and final-year dental undergraduates at the 15 dental schools in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Staff responses from 9 schools (60%) and student responses from 11 schools (73%) were received. From the students' responses, the mean (range) number of cases observed in inhalational sedation was 7 (0-17) and the mean (range) number performed in inhalational sedation was 4 (0-8). The mean (range) number of cases observed in intravenous sedation was 9 (2-19), and the mean (range) number performed was 5 (0-8). There has been an increase in didactic teaching. There has been a decrease in the observing of inhalational cases, but an increase in the hands-on performance of this type of sedation. There is an increase in the hands-on teaching of intravenous sedation.