Respiratory Physiology Relevant to Conscious Sedation for Dental Practice

This session will cover the basic mechanism of gas exchange. The importance of the oxygen dissociation curve in sedation practice will also be discussed.

Learning objectives

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

• describe respiratory physiology with reference to external respiration, internal respiration and the control of respiration
• discuss the relevance of the carriage of gases and the oxygen dissociation curve

Breathing is a reflex process controlled predominantly by the levels of carbon dioxide. However, this activity can be modified by physical and chemical factors.