THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN TWO GENERAL ANAESTHETICS AND VARIOUS BLOOD PARAMETERS IN PERSONS UNABLE TO UNDERGO ROUTINE DENTAL TREATMENT WITHOUT ANAESTHESIA

This study aimed to investigate the relationships between the blood levels of two general anaesthetics (sevoflurane and propofol), and catecholamines (adrenaline, noradrenaline); serotonin; liver enzymes (alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT); and lipid peroxidation parameters (catalase, malondialdehyde (MDA) and superoxide dismutase (SOD),  in mentally retarded (n=20), Down Syndrome (n=12) and healthy (n=20) patients unable to undergo routine dental procedures without anaesthesia. Headspace gas chromatography, High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) and spectrophotometry were used to determine the blood levels of sevoflurane; propofol, catecholamine and serotonin; and liver enzymes and lipid peroxidation parameters, respectively. Although there were some differences between the respective values of the three patient groups before, during and after anaesthesia, no significant correlations were found. Additional studies should be done to further clarify the mechanisms of anaesthesia in difficult-to-treat patients.