A Study of Melatonin for Premedication Prior to Anesthesia

Background: Anxiety is a barrier to dental care for many people. Preliminary studies suggest that melatonin may possess anxiolytic and sedative properties. Methods: Twelve subjects were selected for this study which compared melatonin, at a dose of 0.14 mg/kg, with placebo, as an oral premedication for anxious dental patients prior to receiving a general anesthetic. A visual analog scale (VAS) was used to measure anxiety. The Richmond Agitation Sedation Scale (RASS) was used to assess sedation, the Trieger Dot Test (TDT) for psychomotor impairment, and Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSST) for cognitive impairment. A Quality of Recovery Questionnaire (QoR) was completed 24 hours after each appointment. Results: There were no significant differences in VAS scores for melatonin and placebo between baseline and at 30, 60, and 90 minutes. Similar results were found for RASS scores, TDT, DSST, and the QoR. Conclusion: At the doses used in this study, melatonin was not significantly different from placebo in anxiolysis, sedation, cognitive impairment, psychomotor impairment, and quality of recovery from anesthesia, for anxious dental patients.MAS