Sedation
Jeffrey T. Anderson, DDS
Resident
University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA
University of Iowa
Coralville, Iowa, United States
Scott Cleven, BS
University of Iowa
Polly Iben, DDS, DDS
University of Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa, United States
Kecia S. Leary, DDS, MS
Clinical Professor
University of Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa, United States
Kecia S. Leary, DDS, MS
Clinical Professor
University of Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa, United States
Polly Iben, DDS, DDS
University of Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa, United States
Background: Use of nitrous oxide is common in pediatric dental settings to help improve patient behavior and experience. While nitrous oxide is generally regarded as safe, adverse events have been reported. The purpose of this study is to identify adverse events that result from the use of nitrous oxide in a dental school.
Methods: Data were collected from 9,484 nitrous oxide forms from all departments at the University of Iowa College of Dentistry from August 2, 2017 – July 6, 2022. Any forms missing data were excluded from the study, resulting in 7,554 patient forms analyzed. Information obtained from each form included age, sex, nitrous oxide concentration and duration, department and presence of an adverse event. Patients with adverse events were accessed via the electronic health record for further information.
Results: 96.5% of forms reviewed were from the Pediatric Dentistry department. 117 out of 7,554 (0.7%) patients experienced an adverse event across all departments, and 116 (99.1%) occurred in pediatric dentistry. The adverse event group spent an average of 41.8 minutes on nitrous oxide, while the non-adverse event group spent an average of 34.2 minutes on nitrous oxide (p < .001). Males accounted for 65% of all adverse events. The most common event was “nausea/vomiting”.
Conclusion: The results of our study suggest that males have a higher likelihood of experiencing an adverse nitrous oxide event. In addition, more time spent on nitrous oxide appears to increase the odds of an adverse event.