Introduction: Patients with unstable systemic diseases or non-cooperative patients are characterized as patient with special needs and are usually submitted to dental procedures under intravenous sedation or general anesthesia in an operation theatre.

Methods: The present study intends to review the literature over intravenous sedation in patients with special needs submitted to oral surgery, including drug protocols that could be reproducible. The PubMed data base will be searched with the terms oral surgery , special needs , special care and sedation . Publications found will be assembled and critically analyzed.

Results: Few articles were published regarding intravenous sedation in patients with special needs submitted to oral surgery. Most of them are consensus published by specific societies about the importance of the careful management of these patients but almost no information is provided over specific drugs and dosage to be used.

Conclusion: The possibility to use sedation, in spite of its advantages, requires careful protocol in order to avoid complications. The literature provides plenty information for the safety of the sedation but lacks in offer drug protocol to be used in patients with special needs submitted to oral surgery.

Conflict of interest: None declared.