title: Survey of American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry on Nitrous Oxide and Sedation: 20 Years Later.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to survey the membership of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) and determine the current status of nitrous oxide (N2O) utilization in their dental practices while also comparing the findings to a similar survey completed 20 years ago.
  
  
  METHODS
  A 55-item questionnaire on the use of N2O was sent to the AAPD membership.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The total number of respondents was 1,632 (26 percent). Sixty-two percent are board-certified, 97 percent use N2O in their office, 18 percent indicated greater than 80 percent of their patient pool required N2O versus six percent in 1996. Fifty percent of parents expressed concerns about N2O use.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Changes have occurred in the use of nitrous oxide since 1996, including: (1) a greater percentage of practitioners using N2O; (2) perceptions that more pediatric patients need N2O; (3) a shift in use of N2O by duration of practitioner experience; (4) an increased percentage of board-certified respondents; and (5) possible increasing parental concerns about N2O.
authors.affiliation: Private practice in Scottsdale, Ariz, USA. pedosw46@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.affiliation: Division of Pediatric Dentistry, Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.
authors.forename: Elizabeth S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Gosnell
mesh_terms: D016902:Air Pollution, Indoor; D058109:Airway Management; D000766:Anesthesia, Dental / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D019162:Anesthetics, Combined / Q000008:administration & dosage; D018685:Anesthetics, Inhalation / Q000008:administration & dosage; D002648:Child; D016292:Procedural Sedation / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D019140:Dental Care for Children / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004630:Emergencies; D015920:Gas Scavengers; D006801:Humans; D008020:Life Support Care; D008991:Monitoring, Physiologic; D009609:Nitrous Oxide / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D016273:Occupational Exposure; D010377:Pediatric Dentistry / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D019162:Anesthetics, Combined; D018685:Anesthetics, Inhalation; D009609:Nitrous Oxide