Assessment of an Equimolar Mixture of Oxygen and Nitrous Oxide: Effects in Pediatric Dentistry

Abstract

Background: Many studies were conducted to assess the benefit/risk of equimolar mixture of oxygen and nitrous oxide (EMONO), but evaluating the appetite associated to its use is now getting very little attention in the literature. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects present, felt, and sought during care by the child related with the 50% nitrous oxide/oxygen (EMONO) sedation used in pediatric dentistry. Materials and methods: All patients in consultation with the Dental Service of Nantes hospital and in need of EMONO were included in the study. In this prospective single-center study, the effects present, felt, and sought during care by the child and the assessment of EMONO appreciation were recorded. The presence of clear signs that the child was trying to extend the duration of the EMONO use was also sought. Results: Only 62% of the patients were presented with an anxiolytic effect, and 40% relative analgesia. Both effects were associated in 33% of children. Over the 76 patients assessed, 12 attempted to extend the duration of the EMONO use (16%). After a bivariate statistical analysis, none of the variables appeared significantly associated with the extension of the EMONO use duration. Conclusion:The significant proportion of patients who have prolonged the EMONO use seems to indicate a real attraction for nitrous oxide. This is the first study to evaluate nitrous oxide appreciation on a child.

Recreational Nitrous Oxide Use and Associated Factors among Health Profession Students in France

“…It is also known as laughing gas, and it is well known by health students and practitioners; mixed with 50% oxygen in an equimolar mixture of oxygen and nitrous oxide (EMONO), it is used as an anesthetic in French hospitals, particularly in dental surgery. It has been shown to be efficient in reducing or alleviating patient anxiety during dental treatments [1].…”

“…In France, it seems that the health students also frequently use N 2 O [1], but no study has ever been conducted about its recreational use, and little is known about either these students' characteristics or their behavioral profiles. On a public health approach, it seemed relevant to study patterns of drugs consumption: alcohol, cannabis, ketamine, poppers, ecstasy, hallucinogenic mushroom, cocaine or LSD, which are the most commonly described among students, and to better understand their relation with N 2 O recreational use.…”