Efficacy and Safety of Clonidine versus Placebo for Anxiety in Odontology
Introduction: There are different strategies for anxiety control in dentistry. The objective of this study was to determine the efficacy and safety of clonidine medication versus placebo to decrease anxiety and pain in third-molar extraction.
Methods: a placebo controlled clinical trial, randomized, triple-blind, parallel group design, included 40 healthy patients aged 14 to 40, who would be undergoing third molar surgery, with a score ≥ 13, in accordance with the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (mdas); there were 20 patients per group who received 150 mcg clonidine and a control group that received the placebo. The groups were randomized in balanced blocks, and the masking consisted of uniform tableting. Primary outcome: change in anxiety according to mdas; secondary outcome: vital signs, change in the pain scale and side effects.
Results: decreased anxiety in both groups, with no significant differences between the clonidine group compared with placebo (p = 0.704); in the experimental group average pressure decreased when compared with the placebo (p = 0.033).
Conclusion: clonidine is safe, and even though when compared to the placebo showed no significant anxiety reduction, in the clonidine group a decrease in average arterial pressure was observed, which could reflect reduced anxiety, considering its somatic signs.
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