Nitrous oxide for dental treatment in patients with infantile autism: a literature review

Childhood autism is a neurodevelopment disorder with characteristic symptoms, e.g.: impairments in social interaction and communication, restricted interests and repetitive behaviors. The dental care of these individuals is challenging because of the difficulty in social relationship presented, so that the use of auxiliary pharmacological means, as the use of conscious sedation with nitrous oxide and oxygen is indicated in managing the behavior of the patient with infantile autism. Objective: To perform comprehensive literature review on the use of conscious sedation with nitrous oxide as an adjunct in the behavior of the patient with infantile autism. Literature review: The following descriptors were used: autistic disorder, conscious sedation and nitrous oxide in national and international databases at the period from 2006-2014. Conclusion: The conscious sedation with nitrous oxide and oxygen, as an auxiliary method in the behavior management of children with autism is a secure and effective option, through previous evaluation of the individual, in order to achieve the expected results.