AIRWAY MANAGEMENT IN DENTAL-ANESTHESIA

Ninety patients were allocated randomly to three groups for airway mai ntenance during paediatric outpatient dental extraction: laryngeal mas k airway, nasal mask with nasopharyngeal airway, or nasal mask alone. Surgical access was better with the laryngeal mask. Airway maintenance was easier with the laryngeal mask than the nasopharyngeal airway, an d both were better than nasal mask alone. No patient became hypoxic wi th the laryngeal mask, five patients became hypoxic with the nasal mas k and two with the nasopharyngeal airway at corresponding periods, alt hough the differences were not statistically significant. The laryngea l mask airway is recommended for paediatric outpatient dental anaesthe sia.