The efficacy and memory effects of oral triazolam premedication in highly anxious dental patients

Triazolam (0.375 or 0.50 mg) or placebo was administered orally to 31 highly anxious dental patients in a double-blind clinical trial 1 hr before treatment. The drug was safe and highly effective, in comparison to placebo, in reducing both anxious cognitions and disruptive movement during oral injections of local anesthetic and drilling. Episodic memory and implicit memory were both adversely affected by the active drug but not the placebo.