Butorphanol/diazepam compared to meperidine/diazepam for sedation in oral maxillofacial surgery: a double-blind evaluation

Butorphanol and meperidine, each combined with titrated diazepam, 10 to 20 mg, were compared in a randomized, double-blind trial for their sedative-analgesic effects. The fifty patients underwent multiple dental extractions under local anesthesia and sedation in an outpatient clinic. Butorphanol was significantly superior to meperidine with respect to the diazepam dose required to achieve the target level of sedation, the total diazepam dose administered, the clinical level of sedation, the surgeon's overall evaluations of effectiveness and of sedation level, and several patient evaluation parameters measured at discharge from the recovery room and at follow-up interview. All study drugs were well tolerated. Butorphanol offers clinical advantages over meperidine when combined with diazepam for sedation analgesia in outpatient oral surgery.