Office-based anesthesia.

The practice of office-based oral and maxillofacial surgery is continuously expanding and involves the management of a diverse population in regards to the surgical procedures performed within the office and the age and medical health of the patients treated within the office. Comfort, cooperation, and hemodynamic stability are critical to satisfactorily accomplishing the surgical procedure. Various anesthetic techniques are used, including local anesthesia, anxiolysis, analgesia and sedation, and general anesthesia. The topic is vast and too extensive to be fully discussed in this article. The intent of this article is to provide a discussion of some fundamental concepts that can optimize anesthetic safety and care.