Many of our patients are quite anxious about seeking and receiving dental treatment. In fact, it may lead to some people avoiding dental care completely until excruciating pain gives them no choice. Dentists should be able to provide alternatives to control a patient’s anxiety and to assist them to receive treatment.

This course will cover a spectrum of anxiety relieving alternatives. It will give the caring dentist a selection of anxiolytic techniques that can be offered to their patients including psychosedation, oral sedation and nitrous oxide. It will cover the following topics:

The basic fear and anxiety in the dental chair

The utilisation of psychosedation techniques

Review of Basic Life Support

The Utilisation of oral sedation

Relevant pharmacology administration and monitoring

Indications/contraindications

Managing complications

The utilisation of nitrous oxide sedation

Relevant pharmacology administration and monitoring

Indications/contraindications

Managing complications

All participants will have the opportunity to administer and experience the full range of effects of relative analgesia using nitrous oxide-oxygen, and after completing the course, will feel confident in setting up and administering this agent.

IMPORTANT NOTE

During the practical session, participants will work in groups and learn both slow and fast nitrous oxide-oxygen induction techniques. It is essential that all participants wishing to perform any procedure on a colleague in a learning environment are registered dental professionals in Australia.