Pharmacology of Nitrous Oxide course for Dental Practice

This session describes the pharmacology of nitrous oxide and how this relates to its use for inhalation sedation. The physical properties, clinical and unwanted side effects of the drug are also considered.

Learning objectives

By the end of this session you will be able to:

• list the main properties of nitrous oxide
• list the clinical effects of nitrous oxide
• describe the use of nitrous oxide in dentistry
• describe the side effects of nitrous oxide

The ideal sedation agent should have a wide margin of safety, be simple to use, have a rapid onset and recovery and produce few side effects. For inhalation sedation in dentistry, the drug of choice is nitrous oxide in combination with oxygen.