Comparison of oral dexmedetomidine and midazolam for premedication and emergence delirium in children after dental procedures under general anesthesia: a retrospective study

BACKGROUND: Premedication is the most common way to minimize distress in children entering the operating room and to facilitate the smooth induction of anesthesia and is accomplished using various sedative drugs before the children are being transferred to the operating room. The aim of this study was to compare the effect of oral dexmedetomidine (DEX) and oral midazolam (MID) on preoperative cooperation and emergence delirium (ED) among children who underwent dental procedures at our hospital between 2016 and 2017. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The medical records of 52 children, who were American Society of Anesthesiologists I, aged between 3 and 7 years, and who underwent full-mouth dental rehabilitation under general anesthesia (GA), were evaluated. Twenty-six patients were given 2 µg/kg of DEX, while another 26 patients were given 0.5 mg/kg of MID in apple juice as premedication agents. The patients’ scores on the Ramsay Sedation Scale (RSS), Parental Separation Anxiety Scale (PSAS), Mask Acceptance Scale, Pediatric Anesthesia Emergence Delirium Scale (PAEDS), and hemodynamic parameters were recorded from patients’ files. The level of sedation of children had been observed just before premedication and at 15, 30, and 45 min after premedication. The data were analyzed using a chi-square test, Fisher’s exact test, Student’s t-test, and analysis of variance in SPSS. RESULTS: The Mask Acceptance Scale and PSAS scores and RSS scores at 15, 30, and 45 min after premedication were not statistically different (p>0.05) in both groups, whereas the PAEDS scores were significantly lower in the DEX group (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Oral DEX provided satisfactory sedation levels, ease of parental separation, and mask acceptance in children in a manner similar to MID. Moreover, children premedicated with DEX experienced lesser ED than those premedicated with MID.