NEGLECTED SOLUTION IN DENTAL ANXIETY: NITROUS/OXIDE SEDATION

Purpose: To evaluate the efficiency of Nitrous oxide on patients with dental anxiety via Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS). Material and Methods: 22 patients (16 female, 6 male) whom MDAS total scores were at least 19 enrolled in this study. Prior to dental treatment patients were asked to fill the MDAS form and then patients sedated with nitrous oxide/oxygen. Patients were asked to fill the MDAS form again 1 hour later after the the symptoms of sedation disappeared. Scores of MDAS that were recorded before and after the dental treatments were compared with each other. Results: The mean of MDAS total scores were evaluated as 20.64 +/- 1.84 and 6.82 +/- 1.81 before and after the treatment respectively (p< 0.001). When eachscores of questionsin MDAS form were compared with themselves that had been recorded before and after treatment, also there was a significant decrease found between the first and the second MDAS values (p< 0.001). Conclusion: Nitrous oxide is a safe and effective sedation technique to reduce dental anxiety of patients who has MDAS scores at least 19.