Dental assistant

mollyleik

HELP! I work as a dental assistant and am 6 weeks pregnant. We use nitrous in our office for around a total of 35 hours a week. We have a scavenger system and good ventilation. I told the dr I work for already and my concerns about n2o and he said it was totally safe, but everything I read online says its a big no no. I'm the only assitant there any advice?

lizshort96

I'm a hygienist in a public clinic, we use nitrous all.the.time.  I had the same concerns as you as I read all the warnings as well.  My OB directed my concerns to a specific genetics/research department that deals with environmental exposures with emphasis in the workplace.  They said that there was never any documentation that they could find indicating that nitrous exposure in that fashion ever had any effect on a growing fetus.  I also inquired about radiographs and they said that as long as the standard precautions were taken (apron or stepping out of the room) everything should/would be ok.  My aunt who is a nurse anesthetist also said that she was constantly around nitrous with both of her pregnancies and that her personal medical research indicated that there was no correlation, all would be fine.

That being said, I didn't freak around the nitrous, but I was able to get my students to take my radiographs.

Take your concerns to your OB/doc and see what they tell you.

kja2011

I work in a dental office and use nitrous every day.  In my opinion (and research), it's fine as long as you have a good scavenger and ventilation.  Check to make sure there are no leaks in the bag.  Also check the positioning of the nasal hood to make sure proper fit.  I leave operatory doors open.

I've had multiple co-workers over the years also use nitrous without problems. 

Good luck!