Dental CE Course: Nitrous Oxide Certification Course

This course conforms to the American Dental Association (ADA) Guidelines for Teaching the Comprehensive Control of Anxiety and Pain in Dentistry. It therefore fulfills the educational requirements of the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Dentistry. Upon successful completion of a post-test, participants will receive documentation of course completion.

Prerequisite: Participants must be certified in CPR prior to registration.

Topics will include:

* Historical, philosophical, physiological, and psychological aspects of anxiety and pain control
* Patient evaluation, selection, monitoring, and records
* The stages of drug-induced C.N.S. depression through all levels of consciousness and unconsciousness
* Review of pediatric and adult respiratory and circulatory physiology and related anatomy
* Pharmacology of agents used in inhalation sedation
* Indications and contraindications for use of inhalation sedation
* Review of dental procedures possible under inhalation sedation
* Prevention, recognition, and management of complications and life-threatening situations
* Administration of local anesthesia in conjunction with inhalation sedation techniques
* Introduction to potential health hazards of trace anesthetics
* Discussion of abuse potential and hallucinatory effects

Learning objectives:

Upon successful completion of this course, participants will be able to:

* Describe the basic components of inhalation sedation equipment and their functions
* List and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of inhalation sedation
* List and discuss the indications and contraindications of inhalation sedation
* List the complications associated with inhalation sedation and discuss the prevention, recognition, and management of these complications
* Administer inhalation sedation to patients in a clinical setting in a safe and effective manner
* Discuss the abuse potential, occupational hazards, and other untoward effects of inhalation agents