Comparison of the effectiveness of oral diazepam and midazolam for the sedation of autistic patients during dental treatment

PURPOSE: This study was undertaken to compare the effectiveness of oral diazepam and midazolam in sedating autistic patients during dental treatment. METHODS: The treatment regimen consisted of nitrous oxide/oxygen inhalation in conjunction with oral administration of either diazepam 0.3 mg/kg or midazolam 0.5 mg/kg in a cross-over design study of 13 subjects aged 5.8 to 14.7 years. A drug was classified as being effective when over 70% of the patients taking the drug were judged as "success" in all 3 behavioral criteria: (1) sleeping; (2) body movement; and (3) crying behaviors. The study was observed by an independent clinician with an intraexaminer reliability of 88%. RESULTS: For sleeping behavior, midazolam was found to be significantly more effective than diazepam as the duration of stimulation increased (P<.05). For the movement and crying behaviors, midazolam also proved to be significantly more effective from the start of treatment through the 35- and 40-min markers, respectively (P<.05). For the remainder of treatment, however, there was no statistically significant difference in these behaviors between the trials (P>.05). Diazepam and midazolam were rated as 77% and 100% successful, according to the overall behavior evaluation criteria (P=.02). CONCLUSIONS: Both diazepam and midazolam were shown to be effective sedative agents, successfully and safely used to sedate autistic patients for dental treatment. Midazolam was significantly more effective than diazepam in those portions of the procedure with increased stimulation.