Lorazepam as a premedicant in dental surgery

In a double-blind study, 100 young, healthy (American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status 1) patients received lorazepam (Ativan; Wyeth) 2,5 mg or placebo orally as premedication before general anaesthesia for extraction of wisdom teeth. Lorazepam produced a significant reduction in the incidence of pre-operative anxiety and post-anaesthetic headache compared with placebo (P less than 0,01). Anterograde amnesia was also more frequent in the patients who had received lorazepam (P less than 0.001). The medicolegal implications of using lorazepam as a premedicant in dental surgery at a day clinic are discussed.