Nitrous oxide (N(2)O) has been used for well over 150 years in clinical dentistry for its analgesic and anxiolytic properties. This small and simple inorganic chemical molecule has indisputable effects of analgesia, anxiolysis, and anesthesia that are of great clinical interest. Recent studies have helped to clarify the analgesic mechanisms of N(2)O, but the mechanisms involved in its anxiolytic and anesthetic actions remain less clear. Findings to date indicate that the analgesic effect of N(2)O is opioid in nature, and, like morphine, may involve a myriad of neuromodulators in the spinal cord. The anxiolytic effect of N(2)O, on the other hand, resembles that of benzodiazepines and may be initiated at selected subunits of the gamma-aminobutyric acid type A (GABA(A)) receptor. Similarly, the anesthetic effect of N(2)O may involve actions at GABA(A) receptors and possibly at N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors as well. This article reviews the latest information on the proposed modes of action for these clinical effects of N(2)O.
This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 337. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 05 October 2026.
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#124,179
of 34,562,876 outputs
Outputs from Anesthesia Progress
#7
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Outputs of similar age
#166
of 130,238 outputs
Outputs of similar age from Anesthesia Progress
#1
of 2 outputs
Altmetric has tracked 34,562,876 research outputs across all sources so far. Compared to these this one has done particularly well and is in the 99th percentile: it's in the top 5% of all research outputs ever tracked by Altmetric.
So far Altmetric has tracked 683 research outputs from this source. They typically receive a lot more attention than average, with a mean Attention Score of 10.4. This one has done particularly well, scoring higher than 98% of its peers.
Older research outputs will score higher simply because they've had more time to accumulate mentions. To account for age we can compare this Altmetric Attention Score to the 130,238 tracked outputs that were published within six weeks on either side of this one in any source. This one has done particularly well, scoring higher than 99% of its contemporaries.
We're also able to compare this research output to 2 others from the same source and published within six weeks on either side of this one. This one has scored higher than all of them
