A Comparison of the Effects of Concomitant Analgesics with Midazolam for Sedative Dental Therapy

Purpose: Intravenous sedation with midazolam is common in contemporary dentistry. That is effective for anxious patients, but additional analgesic agent needs to be used, because midazolam alone doesn't have an analgesic effect. This study was performed to select an analgesic agent between an opioid agent, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs as adjunctives in intravenous sedation with midazolam. Methods: The subjects were 60 patients who visited the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University, between August 2009 and February 2010. Conscious sedation was performed on 20 patients of 3 groups (control group, ketorolac group, and fentanyl group), who were divided randomly. The analgesic agent was administrated preoperatively. For sedation, vital signs were recorded. After sedation and operation, subjective questionnaires of the patient and operator were implemented. Results: All of the $SPO_2$, blood pressure, and heart rates stayed within the normal range for sedation. The sedation depth and analgesic effect of the ketorolac group and fentanyl group were similar. In the case of sedation depth, 12 patients in the ketorolac group and 14 patients in the fentanyl group had no memory of surgery. In the case of analgesic effect, the visual analogue scale of pain scored 2~3 in 13 patients in the ketorolac group, and 0~2 in 12 patients in the fentanyl group. The satisfaction of patients and doctors was also similar. Conclusion: Considering the management and complication of an opioid agent, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs is more effective than an opioid agent.