Hypoxaemia during outpatient dental anaesthesia

Eighty children, ASA grade 1, who had outpatient general anaesthesia for tooth extraction were studied. An inhalational induction was performed, with patients receiving halothane, nitrous oxide and either 33% or 50% oxygen. Oxygen saturation was measured throughout the procedure using the Ohmeda Biox 3700 pulse oximeter. No significant difference in the incidence of hypoxaemia was found between the two groups. There was no association between the grade of surgeon or anaesthetist and the incidence of hypoxaemia.