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

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.