Nitrous oxide occupational exposure in conscious sedation procedures in dental ambulatories: a pilot retrospective observational study in an Italian pediatric hospital.

The mean environmental concentration values recorded in our study are below the limit of 50 ppm considered as a reference point, a value lower than those reported in other similar surveys. The results of the present study provide a contribution to the need to implement technical standards, criteria and system requirements for the dental ambulatories, to date not yet completely defined, and cannot be assimilated to the ones established for the surgical rooms.