Community dentistry and oral epidemiology
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Community Dent Oral Epidemiol · Jun 1986
Sister chromatid exchanges in lymphocytes of dentists and chairside assistants: no indication of a mutagenic effect of exposure to waste nitrous oxide.
Cytogenetic methods are used increasingly for monitoring occupational exposure to potential mutagenic agents. By one such method, the sister chromatid exchange (SCE) test, previous studies of hospital operating room personnel did not indicate any mutagenic effect from exposure to waste anesthetic gases. ⋯ From studies of the model y = bo + b1 X age + b2 X cig./day + b3 X hours of exposure to nitrous oxide/week, by multiple linear regression, there was no indication of any influence of exposure to nitrous oxide on SCE. It was concluded that, from the SCE test, there is no indication of a mutagenic effect from exposure to waste nitrous oxide, and that possible health hazards from such exposure would be induced by other effects of nitrous oxide.