Intranasal midazolam better at effecting amnesia after sedation than oral hydroxyzine: a pilot study

Providing amnesia about a surgery is a desired side effect of a medication. This study compares anterograde amnesic effects of midazolam with hydroxyzine in children undergoing dental treatment with those drugs plus nitrous oxide, using a recall test. Thirty ASAI children 24-28 months, were shown a Standard-Binet intelligence scale-memory for objects subtest before entering treatment room. Twenty-lone randomly determined children received 3.7 mg/kg hydroxyzine 45 min before treatment or 0.2 mg/kg intranasal midazolam in two succeeding appointments, alternatively. Recall in the 30-subject treatment group was 90%. Recall in the 21-subject treatment group was 71% for hydroxyzine and 29% for midazolam. Midazolam was more effective in creating amnesia than hydroxyzine in this study.