Dental update
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Review
Inhalation sedation (relative analgesia) with oxygen/nitrous oxide gas mixtures: 1. Principles.
Inhalation sedation with low-to-moderate concentrations of nitrous oxide in oxygen has a remarkable safety record--in over 45 years of use there has not been any mortality or serious morbidity recorded. It is not surprising therefore that the use of the technique is increasing steadily, as it has been shown to be an effective method of managing patients' anxiety. ⋯ In Part 1 he reviews the principles of relative analgesia: describing the characteristics of the different planes of sedation, the mechanism of uptake and elimination of nitrous oxide, and the need for scavenging. In Part 2 he will give a detailed practical guide to the modern technique, incorporating the subtle changes that have been developed over the last ten years.
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Craniofacial pain can be one of the more intractable problems that presents to the GDP. One management route can be referral to a specialist pain relief unit, where the facilities and expertise will be available for diagnosis, counselling, drug management and invasive therapy. In this article the authors describe the results achieved at one such unit, over a one-year period, for a group of 34 craniofacial pain sufferers. At the end of the year 30 patients reported total or partial relief from their pain.
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In response to interest from readers the authors provide an update of their 1986 papers on coping with medical emergencies in dental practice. In particular they review drug regimes and the technique of cricothyroidostomy.
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Review Case Reports
Herpes zoster and post-herpetic neuralgia: diagnosis and management.