Which statement best describes the role of analgesia in Fear Free dental sedation?

• A. Analgesia is optional if anxiolysis is used.
• B. Use local/regional anesthesia for targeted analgesia plus appropriate systemic analgesia and anxiolysis to minimize stress.
• C. Analgesia should be avoided in dental procedures.
• D. Rely solely on sedation without analgesia.

Answer: (C)

In Fear Free dental sedation, controlling pain is essential for true welfare and stress reduction. The best approach is multimodal analgesia: use local or regional anesthesia to block pain at the treatment site, combine that with systemic analgesics to cover broader pain pathways, and include anxiolysis to lessen fear during the procedure. This combination targets pain directly and reduces the animal’s stress response, leading to a calmer experience and better recovery. Relying only on sedation without analgesia or assuming analgesia isn’t needed because the animal seems calm misses the pain component and can perpetuate fear, so analgesia should be part of the plan.