COMPARISON OF SEVOFLURANE AND HALOTHANE FOR OUTPATIENT DENTAL-ANESTHESIA IN CHILDREN

In a prospective, randomized, double-blind clinical study, we have stu died 100 children, aged 2-12 yr, to compare halothane and sevoflurane in outpatient dental anaesthesia. All patients were unpremedicated and received inhalation induction using nitrous oxide in oxygen supplemen ted with either halothane (maximum inspired concentration 5%) or sevof lurane (maximum inspired concentration 8%). Time to loss of the eyelas h reflex was more rapid using sevoflurane although time to adequate an aesthesia (to allow insertion of a mouth prop) was slower in the sevof lurane group. The incidence of cardiac arrhythmia was higher during ha lothane (62%) than during sevoflurane anaesthesia (28%) (P<0.005) and the arrhythmias were more often ventricular in origin. The two agents were comparable in terms of ease of use and quality of anaesthesia, an d times to eye opening and satisfying discharge criteria were similar. We conclude that sevoflurane has qualities that have made halothane t he most used inhalation agent for children, and that it is superior to halothane in dental outpatients where cardiac arrhythmias are a parti cular problem.