ENFLURANE IN OUTPATIENT PAEDIATRIC DENTAL ANAESTHESIA

Enflurane and halothane were compared as volatile supplements to nitrous oxide anaesthesia for 80 children presenting for outpatient dental extractions. Induction and maintenance of anaesthesia were comparable and satisfactory with both agents, but recovery of consciousness was significantly quicker following enflurane anaesthesia. Full recovery from either enflurane or halothane was of similar duration. For many years halothane has been the volatile agent which has been used most frequently for outpatient dental anaesthesia. Certain physical properties of enflurane, notably its low solubility in blood and tissues and its low level of biotransformation (Chase et al., 1971; Cohen, 1971), have made the agent a potentially attractive alternative to halothane as a supplement to nitrous oxide in outpatient anaesthesia (Steward, 1977; Davidson, 1978). Since no previous comparison of enflurane and halothane in outpatient dental anaesthesia had been described, we compared these agents as volatile supplements to nitrous oxide and oxygen in children presenting for dental extrac-tions at the Bristol Dental Hospital. METHODS Eighty children aged between 5 and 12 yr, requiring extraction of two to six teeth (in order to standardize both the quality and duration of anaesthesia) were allocated randomly to one of two equal groups, one receiving enflurane and the other halothane. Children giving a history of epilepsy or renal disease were excluded. None of the children received premedica-tion. Induction was undertaken in the supine position with a nasal mask, using a continuous flow Bain circuit and active scavenging to avoid pollution in the theatre. Nitrous oxide 8 litre min"1 and oxygen 3 litre min"1 were administered for 45 s and the concentrations were then adjusted to 6 litre min"1 and 2 litre min"1 respectively and equipotent con