Children's sense of pleasure from nitrous oxide therapy during dental visits

The purpose of the present study was to measure feelings of pleasure by children who were undergoing dental treatment under nitrous oxide therapy during consecutive treatment sessions, and at a six-month follow-up visit. Fifty-two children between the ages of 3 and 5 years (mean age 4.3 +/- 1.06) children, who required two or more operative treatment visits participated in the study. At the conclusion of the initial treatment and after sufficient time for the effects of the nitrous oxide therapy to subside, patients were asked about their feelings from the gas. At subsequent visits, patients were asked the same questions at the beginning of each treatment session. The same was done at the beginning of a six-month follow-up visit. In general, there was a decrease in pleasure among those who experienced three or more visits. Extraction, in addition to operative treatment, did not result in a decrease in the sense of pleasure from nitrous oxide therapy. A similar response was observed in the recall visits when the reactions of the children were compared with the reactions at the last dental appointment. It is concluded that the sense of pleasure is strengthened through the second visit, but that the sense of pleasure and ability to cope is overwhelmed by the inconvenience of the dental treatment at the third visit.