Evaluation of the effect of nitrous oxide and hydroxyzine in controlling the behavior of the pediatric dental patient.

This study evaluated and compared the effect of three different sedation combinations on the young dental patient: hydroxyzine alone, hydroxyzine with nitrous oxide, and nitrous oxide alone. Nineteen uncooperative children with mean age of 37 months needing at least three restorative visits were selected for this study. Crying, alertness, and general behavior were evaluated during the dental procedure. The combination of hydroxyzine and nitrous oxide was more effective than the others for the majority of the sessions in terms of controlling crying and alertness. The results in the present study indicate that the sedative effect of hydroxyzine on children's behavior is enhanced by the addition of nitrous oxide.