The preoperative time can be traumatic for young children undergoing surgery. Pediatric anesthesiologists act strongly to decrease distress for children in the operating room (OR) and to provide a smooth induction of anesthesia(1). Parentral separation and needle injection increase preoperative anxiety. Preoperative stress response stimulates the sympathetic, parasympathetic, and endocrine systems, leading to an increase in heart rate (HR), blood pressure, and cardiac excitability(2,3) . Dental procedures are assiociated by high rate of fear and anxiety in children (4).~Many drugs have been used as premedication to decrease anxiety , facilitate smooth induction and easy separation of children from their parents. The ideal premedication especially in children must be acceptable with rapid onset ,minimal side effects and with rapid postoperative recovery and return to alertness (5,6).~Fentanyl is a potent analgesic opioid with a rapid onset, and short duration of action (7). Midazolam is a short-acting benzodiazepine that has anxiolytic, amnestic, hypnotic, anticonvulsant and muscle relaxant actions (8,9). Dexmedetomidine is a selective α-2 adrenergic agonist that has both sedative and analgesic effects (10-12)~Preoperative sedation in children is usually administered via the rectal, oral sublingual, and intranasal routes with different degrees of patient acceptance.(13-18). Nebulized drug is an alternative method of sedation that is relatively easy to set up, without need for venipuncture, and is associated with high bioavailability of the drug (19,20).~This study was designed to evaluate and compare the effect and safety of nebulized either fentanyl, midazolam or nebulized dexmedetomidine as a sedative premedication prior to general anesthesia (GA) in outpatient pediatric dental surgeries. The primary end point is the time of sedation and level of sedation when the child is first seen in the operating room(OR) 30 minutes after using studied drugs, based on the Modified Observer's Assessment of Alertness/Sedation Scale(19). The secondary end points are parentral separation, tolerance to mask induction, reaction to intravenous cannulation, hemodynamic changes( systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure and heart rate), sedation at emergence and wake-up behavior.
The preoperative time can be traumatic for young children undergoing surgery. Pediatric anesthesiologists act strongly to decrease distress for children in the operating room (OR) and to provide a smooth induction of anesthesia.~Many drugs have been used as premedication to decrease anxiety , facilitate smooth induction and easy separation of children from their parents.~This study was designed to evaluate and compare the effect and safety of nebulized either fentanyl, midazolam or nebulized dexmedetomidine as a sedative premedication prior to general anesthesia (GA) in outpatient pediatric dental surgeries.