Abstract: : The psychomotor effects of nitrous-oxide oxygen psychosedation has been studied in medical student volunteers not undergoing any kind of treatment and in dental patients both children and adults. These studies, using nitrous oxide in concentrations of 25-35%, concluded that psychomotor impairments, as measured by the tests, were minimal at those concentrations and were rapidly reversed following a 3-5 minute post-treatment oxygenation period. Tecent attention has been directed at the effects of nitrous oxide on the dentist who may be exposed to waste gases for a prolonged period of time. Because of the absence of data on potential impairments of the psychomotor abilities of dentists who use nitrous oxide, this study investigated their psychomotor responses during the course of a treatment period in which nitrous oxide was administered to a patient. The findings for dentists in this study are essentially similar to those reported previously on the effects of nitrous oxide on psychomotor activities during and following dental treatment. One reason for the similarity may be that all of these studies involved investigation of psychomotor abilities during one treatment session. The effects of prolonged exposure to nitrous oxide requires additional study to clarify those effects if, in fact, there are any.

Abstract: : Psychosedation with nitrous oxide and oxygen has shown increasing use as an adjunct in reducing anxiety for dental patients. Current techniques employ machines which deliver a mixture that can be varied up to a maximum of 50% nitrous oxide and a minimum of 50% oxygen. One purported advantage of this psychosedation technique is the rapid recovery by the patient from its effects following its termination. Because nitrous oxide-oxygen psychosedation is used with ambulatory nonaccompanied dental patients it is important that the exent and duration of any residual effect from the clinical application of this technique be assessed. (Author)

Abstract: The purpose of the study was to determine whether local anesthetic solution warmed to body temperature (37° C) produced less pain on injection than an anesthetic solution injected at room temperature (21° C) and to determine which solution resulted in quicker anesthetic onset. It was found that the subjects experienced no difference in pain during injection of warm and cold anesthetic solution given respectively in the maxillary buccal sulcus area. The time of anesthetic onset was also not influenced by solution temperature.

Abstract: A study of the solubility of Valium in commonly used intravenous solutions showed Valium to be equally insoluble in 5% dextrose in normal saline, 5% dextrose in water, normal saline, and Ringer's lactate. However, the precipitate which was formed became completely resuspended when mixed with as little as 39-42% plasma in vitro. This would indicate that the chalky precipitate seen in the I. V. tubing when Valium is injected into a running I. V. near the venipuncture site becomes resuspended when mixed with plasma in vivo. If one elects to inject Valium into the tubing of a running I. V., it is recommended that the drug be administered slowly to assure adequate mixing with blood plasma in order to prevent the circulation of particulate matter.Valium is currently one of the most popular drugs used in the psychosedative management of the apprehensive dental patient. Various techniques are advocated for its administration from direct injection into a vein to injection of the drug into a running I. V. However, the manufacturer states that the drug should not be added to I. V. fluids or other solutions or drugs. Presumably this is because of the formation of a cloudy precipitate immediately upon addition to aqueous solutions. Grower et al. have shown that saturated aqueous solutions of Valium in normal saline redissolve when added to plasma; however, they presented no data on the behavior of solutions of Valium added to other commonly used intravenous fluids. The present study was, therefore, undertaken to study the behavior of Valium when added to lactated Ringer's solution, 5% dextrose solutions, and normal saline; and to see how human blood plasma affects the solubility of Valium in these solutions.

Abstract: A review of current significant literature concerning bupivacaine hydrochloride (Marcaine) is presented with particular emphasis on clinical use in oral surgery The major advantages compared with other presently used local anesthetics are an increased duration of action and a favorable potency to toxicity ratio