Failure to demonstrate psychomotor effects of nitrous oxide oxygen exposure in dental assistants.

Many studies have assessed the psychomotor effects of nitrous oxide oxygen exposure in dentists, patients, dental students, and medical students, anesthetists and technicians working in operating rooms (Trieger, Laskota, Jacobs, and Newman, 1971; Ayer and Getter, 1974; Machen, Ayer, and Muller, 1977; Ayer, Russell and Burge, 1978; Hawkins, Russell, and Ayer, 1978; Smith and Shirley, 1977). All have been unable to demonstrate psychomotor impairments at low concentrations (25% to 35%) and have concluded that any impairments are probably minimal and are rapidly reversible following a 3 to 5 minute oxygenation period at the conclusion of treatment. With the increased attention currently being given to potential hazards secondary to waste N20 in the dental environment, researchers have begun to focus on personnel in the dental office other than the dentist and the patient. If there are occupational hazards associated with dentistry, it also becomes imperative to study auxillary personnel likely to be exposed to potentially deterimental agents. Because of this, the present study has been designed to investigate the effects of exposure to trace concentrations of nitrous oxide in the ambient air on psychomotor functions in dental assistants.