Knowledge, Attitude, and Awareness about Nitrous Oxide Inhalation Sedation among Dental Practitioners of Gujarat, India

Introduction: Conscious sedation is a safe and effective method of anxiolysis. However, the use of conscious sedation in pediatric dental patients is a controversial topic as it involves the intersection of dentistry and medicine. Among the many questions that could be asked, it is necessary to find out what dental practitioners think about the use of sedatives in their routine pediatric dental practice. Therefore, the above survey was conducted aiming to evaluate the perceptions of dentists on the use of Conscious Sedation in pediatric dental practice in Vadodara city, Gujarat.

Methods: Questionnaires were sent electronically to Indian Dental Association (IDA) members of Vadodara at the time of the study. The contact details of these dental practitioners were obtained from the IDA members list. Details on personal status, use of, and training in, conscious sedation techniques were sought via the questionnaires to find the knowledge, attitude, and awareness towards the use of Conscious Sedation in pediatric dental practice.

Results: The questionnaire was sent to IDA members in Vadodara city, Gujarat. 64.37% (150 dentists) responded to the questionnaire. 48% were female practitioners and 52% were male practitioners. 78.5% were in favor of using conscious sedation as a behavior management technique in pediatric dental practice, irrespective of their qualification or years of experience. Maximum knowledge about conscious sedation was obtained through the curriculum.

Conclusion: It can be concluded that the dentists of Vadodara city, Gujarat state developed a positive attitude towards the use of conscious sedation, however, complained of a lack of training to the subject.