Comparison in Sedative Effects between Dexmedetomidine and Midazolam in Dental Implantation: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Dexmedetomidine refers to an alpha(2)-adrenergic receptor agonist causing potent sedative, analgesic, and minimal respiratory depression compared with alternative drugs. The present study was aimed at comparing the efficaciousness and safety of midazolam and dexmedetomidine as sedatives for dental implantation. We recruited 60 patients belonging to group I or II of the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) and treated them with either midazolam or dexmedetomidine in a random manner. Patients' duration of analgesia after surgery, surgeon and patient degrees of satisfaction, Observer's Assessment of Alertness/Sedation Scale (OAAS) scores after drug administration, visual analogue scale (VAS) pain scores, and vital signs were recorded variables. Patients administered dexmedetomidine had significantly lower OAAS scores than those administered midazolam (p<0.05). Patients administrated dexmedetomidine had a significantly longer analgesia duration after the surgical procedure than those administered midazolam, and the difference was statistically significant (p<0.05). Dexmedetomidine had a significantly larger number of surgeons satisfied with the level of sedation/analgesia than midazolam (p<0.05). Accordingly, it is considered that dexmedetomidine can achieve better postoperative analgesia, surgeon satisfaction, and sedation than midazolam.