Forty-seven children aged between four and 11 years received temazepam 0.5 mg/kg in a novel fast dispensing dosage form. The preparation was well accepted and associated with few side-effects. Satisfactory sedation and anxiolysis was obtained in over 93% of patients. The relative merits of a variety of routes of administration of premedicant drugs for children are discussed and the advantages of buccally administered formulations for this age group are presented.