Intranasal Dexmedetomidine Premedication in Children

BACKGROUND INFORMATION AND RATIONALE Pediatric patients scheduled for dental procedures under general anesthesia can have significant anxiety before the procedure. They are commonly pre medicated to minimize distress and to facilitate a smooth induction of anesthesia. Oral Midazolam at 0.5mg/kg dose is more widely used for this purpose . However the commonly used maximum dose is up to 15mg. It also has many limitations such as paradoxical reaction, increased incidence of emergence delirium and negative postoperative behavior changes . Intranasal dexmedetomidine has been used an effective and safe alternative premedication to oral midazolam in children. At a dose of 2micrograms/kg, intranasal dexmedetomidine as premedication resulted in excellent sedation in children aged 5-8yrs with no adverse hemodynamic effects. It has other advantages such as providing analgesia and facilitating smooth emergence from anesthesia. The goal of this study is to find out if intranasal dexmedetomidine is a superior alternative as premedication to oral midazolam in children weighing more than 20kg undergoing general anesthesia for dental rehabilitation.