A prospective study of the use of nitrous oxide inhalation sedation for dental treatment in anxious children

Authors:

ABSTRACT

Aim

To determine baseline data in relation to procedures undertaken during nitrous oxide inhalation sedation sessions within
the Hospital Dental Service. STUDY DESIGN: A prospective study.

Methods

Data was collected over a twelve-month period for
patients attending the Department of Paediatric Dentistry, Dundee Dental Hospital, Dundee, Scotland, for dental treatment using nitrous
oxide inhalation sedation. Overall behaviour and the outcome of treatment were assessed by the dentist providing sedation using the
Frankl and Houpt Behaviour Rating Scales respectively.

Results

Data was available for 312 patients (F:169; M:143) with a median
age of 11.0 (inter-quartile range 8.8, 12.7) years. Overall, 93 of patients successfully completed treatment using sedation. The
majority of treatments comprised dental extractions; 19.8 and 41.3 were primary and permanent tooth extractions
respectively. Regarding permanent teeth, nearly 50 were first permanent molar extractions compared with just over 30
for first premolars. Nearly three-quarter of cases were treated using a mixture of 30 nitrous oxide and 70 oxygen, with
a median sedation time of 35.7 minutes. Only 7 of cases failed to commence or complete treatment and overall, there was a
greater failure rate amongst visiting Community Dental Officers, compared with Hospital-based clinicians.

Conclusion

Extraction of
first permanent molar teeth can be successfully achieved using inhalation sedation. There is both a need for further postgraduate
training in sedation techniques as well as the necessity to train further Specialists in Paediatric Dentistry to undertake care within the
Community Dental Service.

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