Continuing Education: Common Benzodiazepines by Tammy Smit, CRNA

Dentaltown Magazine

by Tammy Smit, CRNA Tammy Smit, CRNA, completed undergraduate

Course description
Sedation for dental treatments and procedures is on the rise, and is often expected by patients. Practitioners offering sedation often request additional information on commonly used pharmaceutical agents. The benzodiazepine class of medications is the most commonly used type of medication used for either oral or intravenous sedation. This course revisits the pharmacology of these prescribed sedatives, including midazolam, diazepam and triazolam.

Objectives
Upon completion of this course, the participant should be able to achieve the following:

1. Identify the incidence of dental anxiety.

2. Discuss the advantages of benzodiazepines that make them an attractive choice for dental sedation.

3. Give examples on how benzodiazepines exert their effects in the central nervous system.

4. Interpret the American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status Classification and its relationship to dental sedation.

5. Recognize levels of anxiety through the indicator of sedation needs tool to identify the appropriate level of sedation.

6. Identify that age, nutritional status, renal or hepatic disease may require a decrease in dosages of prescribed benzodiazepines.

7. Examine best practices for providing anxiolysis.

8. List contraindications and special considerations when administering benzodiazepines.

9. Review the treatment of unintended benzodiazepine overdose.

View Course Online


View Course PDF

Author Bio
Tammy Smit, CRNA, completed undergraduate studies in biology and nursing at Southwestern Adventist University and Tarrant County College and completed her master’s in nurse anesthesia at Texas Wesleyan University. Smit is an American Heart Association instructor for resuscitation courses including Basic Life Support, Advanced Cardiac Life Support and Pediatric Advanced Life Support. Smit is an educator through public speaking, publications, continuing education and mobile app development. She is the president of American Dental Sedation and Texas CRNA Education. Email: dental911training@gmail.com
 
 
Sponsors
Townie Perks
Townie® Poll
Who or what do you turn to for most financial advice regarding your practice?
  
Sally Gross, Member Services Specialist
Phone: +1-480-445-9710
Email: sally@farranmedia.com
©2025 Dentaltown, a division of Farran Media • All Rights Reserved
9633 S. 48th Street Suite 200 • Phoenix, AZ 85044 • Phone:+1-480-598-0001 • Fax:+1-480-598-3450