Introduction:

Hypoxemia commonly arises in dental patients with lung diseases during and after surgery and requires monitoring patients' blood oxygenation to identify life-threatening problems. Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (COPD) could remain underdiagnosis in smokers without symptoms.

Objective:

The aim of this study was to evaluate the arterial oxygen saturation (%SpO2) during oral surgery procedures in smoker patients.

Materials and methods:

The study population consisted in thirty-three smoker patients undergoing oral surgery procedures using local anesthetic at the School of Dentistry in the Central University of Venezuela. A medical history, included information on smoking habits: pack/year, COPD Assessment Test (CAT), modified Medical Research Council (mMRC), all patients were classified by Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease criteria (GOLD). Oxygen saturation was monitored by pulse oximetry, before the beginning of the surgery, during the anesthetic administration, one minute after and the end of the suture. Data were analyzed using Student's t test, chi-squared, Mann-Whitney test, Spearman's rho test.

Results:

Subjects were divided in two groups according with the smoking history: group 1, n = 16, > 20 pack/year; group 2, n = 17, ≤ 20 pack/year. Group 1 have higher scores of CAT (10 vs. 4) mMRC (2 vs. 0) and lower spirometric values % FEV1/FVC 59 vs. 83 %, FEF25-75 of 38 vs. 82 lts/s (p = 0,001). All group 1 patients were diagnosis with COPD and lower oxygen saturation during times of surgery (97 vs. 98, 96 vs. 98, 95 vs. 97, 93 vs. 97 %), episodes of %SpO2 90 % (75 vs. 0 %) and times of desaturation below the baseline (3,5 vs. 1). There was not relation between time of surgery and oxygen saturation.

Conclusions:

Patients with a smoking history > 20 pack-years and COPD diagnosis have episodes of arterial oxygen desaturation during oral surgery procedures and it occurs in the absence of hemodynamic or other physiologic signs of hypoxemia.

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