Premium
The use of oral sedatives in dental care
Author(s) -
Hallonsten AnnaLena
Publication year - 1988
Publication title -
acta anaesthesiologica scandinavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.738
H-Index - 107
eISSN - 1399-6576
pISSN - 0001-5172
DOI - 10.1111/j.1399-6576.1988.tb02830.x
Subject(s) - medicine , sedation , anxiety , diazepam , drug , oral administration , anesthesia , anti anxiety agents , intensive care medicine , psychiatry , pharmacology
Oral administration of tranquillizing and anxiety‐suppressing drugs has long been the commonest method of achieving light sedation. The benzodiazepines are the drugs of first choice. Benzodiazepines given orally may be indicated to avoid ‘treatment stress’, alleviate mild anxiety before dental treatment, and facilitate sleep on the night before the treatment. Furthermore, they could be used for the dental treatment of medically poor risk patients, particularly those with cardiovascular disease. The drug can be given either in a fractionated dose or a single dose. The recommended doses for diazepam vary from 0.1–0.8 mg/kg body weight, depending on age, with higher doses in children and lower doses in elderly patients. Few side effects are reported.