Use, attitudes, side effects and satisfaction with nitrous oxide sedation for dental treatment in Germany

Introduction: The use of nitrous oxide for minimal sedation in dentistry is only recently advocated by European and German associations, but its use in dental practice routine is hardly examined. Thus, the aim of this study is to evaluate the circumstances of nitrous oxide sedation in German dental practices. Results: In general, German dentists exhibit a neutral (57 %) or positive attitude (29 %) towards minimal sedation with nitrous oxide (response rate 14 %). Due to the recent purchase of the devices, the years of experience of users were mostly low (only 16 % > 3 years, response rate 30 %) with varying levels of formal training. Still, the equipment, techniques and outcomes were in line with established recommendations. Mainly adults (62 %) with anxiety (87 %) were treated with surgical procedures (59 %) with a very high success rate and few minor side effects such as euphoria (5 %), sweating, nausea or vomiting (3 % each). Conclusion: The responding dentists and patients were highly satisfied and saw nitrous oxide as an easy and predictable way to achieve minimal sedation during dental treatment, sometimes preventing a referral to general anesthesia. Thus, there is a potential that nitrous oxide could be as widely used in Germany as it is in other countries. Keywords: dentistry, nitrous oxide, paediatric dentistry, sedation