Risk of respiratory depression at use of nitrous oxide on individuals with cerebral palsy: a clinical trial

The dental care for individuals with cerebral palsy (CP) often result in the referral of patients for general anesthesia. Conscious sedation with nitrous oxide (N2O) could be an alternative resource, from a behavioral and physiological point of view, and could favor dental care in an outpatient setting. This study aimed to evaluate the influence of conscious sedation with N2O on respiratory rate (RR) and oxygen saturation (SpO2) in the dental treatment of individuals with CP. Seventy-seven patients with CP, over 3 years old, regardless of gender and ethnicity, were evaluated with the measurement of N2O titration, RR and SpO2 in four moments: initial, 5 minutes after sedation, 10 minutes after anesthesia and 5 minutes after removal of the N2O. Student's t test and ANOVA F were used, with a significance level of 5%. The variation in N2O titration did not generate significant variation in RR (p = 0.122). There was a significant difference in SpO2 between T1 and other times. It can be said that conscious sedation is not influenced by N2O titration, does not cause respiratory depression or any clinically significant change in SpO2, confirming the safety of use in an outpatient setting.