Abstract: Objective To evaluate clinical application of sevoflurane and propofol anesthesia in pediatric dental surgery, providing the clinical evidence for safe and efficient general anesthetic drugs.Methods Forty pediatric patients aged 3-6 years old were divided into two groups (n = 20, each), the sevoflurane group (S) and the propofol group (P). They were rated class I to II risk by American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) criteria. All patients were under regular induced intravenous anesthesia and then endotracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation were conducted. The anesthesia was maintained with 2%-3% sevoflurane inhalation in group S and 5-8mg/kg propofol continuous infusion in group P. Heart rate (HR), pulse oxygen saturation (SpO2) and mean artery pressure (MAP) were recorded before induced anesthesia (T0), 5 minutes after intubation (T1), 5 minutes after the start of surgeries (T2), the end of surgeries (T3), and 5 minutes after extubation (T4). The time of extubation, respiratory and conscious recovery, as well as complications (nausea, vomiting, agitation, choking and spasm) during awaking period were also evaluated. Results Compared to group P, changes in HR and MAP before and after operations (T4- T0) were significantly lower in group S (P < 0.001). The time of extubation and respiratory recovery in group S was less than that in group P (P < 0.05). Also, there was a lower incidence of total side effects in group S (P = 0.038).Conclusion The use of sevoflurane anesthesia in pediatric dental surgery can make hemodynamics stable and cause little side effects. We recommend this anesthesia technique in clinical application.

Key words: sevoflurane, pediatric dental surgery, propofol