A comparison of the child's behavior between two groups of oral sedative drugs

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to compare the child's behavior between the two groups of oral sedative drugs: a) Chloral hydrate and Promethazine and b) Hydroxyzine and Diazepam. Fourteen healthy children, aged 3 to 5 years old, participated in this study. All children exhibited negative behavior and required at least two restorative appointments with the use of oral sedative drugs and nitrous oxide-oxygen inhalation sedation. The drugs were randomly administered in a double-blind manner. The degree of sleep, crying, movement and overall behavior were evaluated during the operative procedures. With respect to sleeping, there was no significant difference in the child's behavior between the two drug groups. With respect to crying, the children who had Hydroxyzine and Diazepam cried significantly less than when they had Chloral hydrate and Promethazine at the time of injection and rubber dam placement (P less than 0.05). With respect to movement, the children who had Hydroxyzine and Diazepam moved significantly less than when they had Chloral hydrate and Promethazine at the time of injection, rubber dam placement, and the 60 minute interval (P less than 0.05). For overall behavior, the children who had Hydroxyzine and Diazepam behaved better than when they had Chloral hydrate and Promethazine (P less than 0.05).