[Peripheral oxygen saturation during dental surgery with and without premedication].

83 adults undergoing dental surgical procedures in local anesthesia were monitored continuously with a pulse oximeter for hypoxemia. 30 patients received as premedication either a combination of a neuroleptic drug and an opiate or a benzodiazepine. There was a drop in the oxygen saturation in 80% of the patients with premedication but only in 66% of the patients without. There were statistical highly significant more periods of hypoxemia in patients with premedication compared to the others. (1548 periods versus 659 periods p less than 0.001). The kind of premedication/sedation does not influence the number of hypoxic episodes. We conclude that especially patients with premedication should only be treated by surgeons with sufficient clinical experience in coping with emergency situations.