Pediatric Sedation in Dutch Dental Clinics: The Influence of Guideline Modifications on Adverse Events

Background: Dental fear and uncooperative behavior can hinder dental treatment quality. Pediatric Procedural Sedation and Analgesia (PPSA) is used to facilitate treatment when the coping capacity is exceeded. Out-of-hospital PPSA has been associated with more adverse outcomes compared to when it is used in hospital-based settings. The updated Dutch PPSA guidelines have increased costs and raised concerns about the accessibility of specialized high-quality dental care for children in the Netherlands. This study aimed to investigate the impact of the updated 2017 guidelines on the occurrence rate of adverse events during PPSA in twelve Dutch dental clinics. Methods: The data of 25,872 children who were treated at twelve dental clinics between 1997 and 2019 were analyzed. A logistic two-level mixed-effects model was used to estimate the updated guidelines' impacts on adverse events. Results: The OR of the occurrence rate of an adverse event adjusted for age, weight, and duration of treatment was 0.75 (95% CI 0.64-0.89) after the implementation of the updated guidelines. This outcome was significant with p = 0.001, indicating a protective effect. Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate that there was a significant reduction in adverse events after the implementation of the updated guideline and highlight the importance of adhering to evidence-based practices in out-of-hospital dental clinics.

Survey on the Awareness of the Use of Oropharyngeal Throat Packs in Dental Anesthesia: An International Online Survey

INTRODUCTION

Oropharyngeal throat packs (OPTPs) are frequently used to administer general anesthesia during oral surgery and dental procedures. However, the use of OPTPs has remained controversial, with concerns about their effectiveness, the potential for falling short of expectations, and the inherent risk of serious oversight in removing them. This study aimed to assess the awareness of dental anesthesiologists in the United States of America (USA) and Japan regarding the use of OPTPs.

METHODS

An online questionnaire was distributed to 41 dental anesthesia education facilities in May 2023 and responses were obtained from 32 facilities.

RESULTS

The responses to the questionnaire indicated that dental anesthesiologists in both the USA and Japan believe that using OPTPs during general anesthesia with airway securement is of significant importance, albeit with varying primary purposes for their application. In contrast, notable disparities were observed between the USA and Japan regarding the perceived importance and routine use of OPTPs during open-airway general anesthesia. In both countries, there is a common understanding that the residual risks of OPTPs are severe and that multiple preventive procedures are required.

CONCLUSIONS

 The present study showed that dental anesthesiologists in the USA and Japan believed that the use of OPTPs was generally necessary for dental anesthesia. However, there was a difference in awareness between Japan and the USA regarding the importance of OPTPs for open-airway general anesthesia. Therefore, there should be a consensus among dental anesthesiologists in Japan and the USA on using OPTPs during open-airway general anesthesia in the near future.

A Case of Broken Local Anesthetic Needle in the Pterygomandibular Space; Diagnostic Approaches and Surgical Management

Needle fracture during dental local anesthetic injections is a rare but significant, potentially serious complication. Various approaches for the location and removal of broken needles have been described; however, there are several difficulties and concerns related to the potential complications and critical anatomic challenges peculiar to the head and neck region. In this case, we describe the diagnostic approaches utilized in locating a broken needle that migrated in the pterygomandibular space following gag reflex, and sudden head movement of a middle-aged male patient. A meticulous diagnostic approach was employed to locate the needle utilizing CBCT scan, CT scan with contrast, and C-arm X-ray machine. The needle was successfully retrieved using an angled hemostat inserted through an oral incision, guided by a C-arm X-ray machine and ENT endoscopic instruments. While careful planning could prevent many complications that may arise during oral surgical procedures, inadvertent events leading to serious complications should be addressed using the appropriate and timely diagnostic techniques pre-and intra-operatively.

Retromolar Triangle Anesthesia Technique: A Feasible Alternative to Classic?

Anesthetic techniques play an important role in the outcome of the therapeutic procedures in dentistry. Although inferior alveolar nerve block (IANB) anesthesia is currently the most often used, there are situations that imply the need of an alternative anesthesia technique to overcome the potential risks and complications. The aim of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of the retromolar triangle anesthesia technique in achieving the desired nerve block, while evaluating the duration of the anesthesia for the included cases.

METHODS

The present prospective study included 50 subjects that had indication of inferior molar extraction. The performed anesthesia technique for these cases was the retromolar triangle approach, and the analyzed parameters for evaluating the efficacy of this anesthesia technique were the positive nerve block of the branches involved in the area (inferior alveolar, buccal, and lingual nerves) and the duration of the anesthesia.

RESULTS

The efficiency of the retromolar triangle anesthesia technique was positive in 64% of the cases for the inferior alveolar nerve, 46% of the cases for the lingual nerve, and 22% of the cases for the buccal nerve. The duration of the anesthesia revealed a mean value of 72.4 min, suggesting that the duration is an essential factor in its effectiveness.

CONCLUSIONS

Retromolar triangle anesthesia can be a viable option for clinicians, offering a simple and easy approach for the management of clinical cases.

Traumatic myositis ossificans of the temporal muscle after dental local anesthesia

Key Clinical Message

Traumatic myositis ossificans of the temporal muscle can occur following local trauma. The diagnosis could be considered for patients presenting with therapy-resistant trismus after intraoral procedures.

Abstract

A female in her 30s developed ossification of the temporal muscle attachment after local trauma during dental treatment, resulting in an inability to open her mouth. Following surgical treatment and physical therapy acceptable mouth opening and masticatory function was achieved.

Effectiveness of the "pain-free dental injection" (PaFein) teaching model in reducing children's pain: A randomized, controlled study

PURPOSE

This study explores the effectiveness of a comprehensive structured teaching model - the "PaFein" - for instructing postgraduate pediatric dental residents in the provision of pain-free local anesthesia to children.

METHODS

Ten postgraduate pediatric dental residents and 172 children between the ages 5 and 13 participated in the study following ethical approval. The previously measured baselines guided the randomization of study and control groups. The study group (five residents) attended the PaFein course (9 hours). Based on power calculations, residents performed dental injections (8 mandibular block, 8 palatal/lingual and 14 buccal infiltrations) in randomly assigned child patients. Demographic data of residents/children, parental and self-report anxiety scores and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) pain scores were noted to examine children's anxiety and pain during dental injections.

RESULTS

Children's mean anxiety score did not differ significantly between groups; however, VAS pain reports during dental injections (a, b, c, d) were found lower in the PaFein study group than the control group (p < 0.05). VAS pain reports for (a) buccal injections were 1.08 and 1.9 (p = 0.02); (b) inferior alveolar nerve blocks were 1.58 and 3.37 (p = 0.0002); (c) palatal/lingual injections were 1.34 and 3.02 (p < 0.0001); (d) total means were 1.28 and 2.59, respectively (p = 0.0001). VAS pain reports of anxious and non-anxious children in the PaFein study group (1.63 and 1.17) were also lower than the control group (3.33 and 2.39) (p < 0.0001 and p = 0.005).

CONCLUSION

The "PaFein" teaching model was found to be effective in training dental residents to reduce dental injection pain in children, including the anxious ones.

Does the use of topical anesthetics reduce the perception of pain during needle puncture and anesthetic infiltration? Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

The objective of this systematic review was to assess whether the use of topical anesthetics reduces the perception of pain during puncture and anesthetic infiltration. Twenty-two randomized controlled clinical trials, published in English on or before August 6, 2020, were found in the PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, and Cochrane Library databases. Risk of bias was determined for randomization and other issues. A total of 1029 patients were evaluated using parameters such as type of topical anesthetic, application site, and pain (measured on a scale). Some studies assessed more than one topical anesthetic. Seventeen of them showed a reduction in pain from needle puncture and four from infiltration. Meta-analyses for some results showed considerable statistical heterogeneity. Regarding pain during needle puncture of the maxilla, statistically significant differences were observed in the topical anesthetics group, in both the vestibular (P = 0.0002) and palatal (P = 0.005) region. This was different from the mandible, for which there was no statistically significant difference (P = 0.07). With regard to pain caused by anesthetic infiltration in the maxilla, there was no difference in the use of anesthetic in relation to the control group (P = 0.11). Given these findings, using topical anesthetics only relieves pain during needle puncture and in the maxilla. PROSPERO 2020: CRD42020206362.

How Successful is Supplemental Intraseptal and Buccal Infiltration Anaesthesia in the Mandibular Molars of Patients Undergoing Root Canal Treatment or Tooth Extraction?

Objectives

To investigate the success rate of supplemental intraseptal and buccal infiltration anaesthesia in mandibular molars undergoing endodontic therapy/extraction when the inferior alveolar nerve block has failed.

Material and Methods

A prospective clinical trial including 200 patients undergoing lower molar root canal treatment/teeth extraction was conducted. Only 80 patients of the participants who had profound lower lip anaesthesia after the administration of inferior alveolar nerve block (IANB) were in pain within treatment. Patients experiencing moderate to severe pain upon using elevators, forceps, bur, or endodontic file were randomly allocated to the 2% lidocaine intraseptal injection and 4% articaine buccal infiltration groups. Level of pain was assessed every 2 to 10 min on standard 100 mm visual analogue scales.

Results

Overall, 55 (69%) of patients who were given either intraseptal injection of 2% lidocaine or buccal infiltration of 4% articaine had successful anaesthesia of lower molar teeth within 10 min. However, 25 (31%) of participating patients in the buccal infiltration and the intraseptal groups had failed anaesthesia within the study duration (10 min), and they received additional local anaesthetic. IANBs were more painful than buccal and intraseptal injections. However, buccal articaine injections were significantly more comfortable than intraseptal lidocaine injections (P > 0.001).

Conclusions

Supplemental intraseptal injection of 2% lidocaine and buccal infiltration of 4% articaine achieved profound pulpal anaesthesia in 69% of patients when the inferior alveolar nerve block failed. Recommendations can be given to dental practitioners to use infiltration of 4% articaine in conjunction with intraseptal injection of 2% lidocaine to anaesthetize the lower molar teeth when inferior alveolar nerve block fails.

Patterns in Pediatric Dental Surgery under General Anesthesia across 7 State Medicaid Programs

OBJECTIVES

Children's access to dental general anesthesia (DGA) is limited, with highly variable wait times. Access factors occur at the levels of facility, dental provider, and anesthesia provider. It is unknown if these factors also influence utilization of dental surgery. We characterized patterns in DGA utilization by system, provider, population, and individual disease levels to explain variation.

METHODS

We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of Medicaid-enrolled children (≤9 y) who received DGA in Massachusetts, Maryland, Texas, Connecticut, Washington, Illinois, and Florida from 2011 to 2012. DGA events were characterized by the place of service, measures of disease burden, average reimbursements for dental provider and anesthesia provider, and average total expenditures.

RESULTS

A total of 10,149,793 children met study eligibility criteria. States with similar patterns of caries-related visits, such as Illinois (16% of Medicaid enrollees had a caries-related claim) and Washington (22%), had different DGA rates (1% and 17%, respectively). Reimbursement rates for dental providers, DGA services, and nonhospital places of services did not consistently align in states with higher DGA rates. Surgical extraction rates, as a proxy for the most severe disease, exceeded 75% in Maryland, which had the lowest DGA rate (0.3%).

CONCLUSIONS

Variation in DGA rates across states was not explained by reimbursements rates (provider, DGA services, place of service) or population or individual level of caries burden. Efforts to evaluate and alter utilization of DGA should consider factors such as dental and anesthesia provider capacity, health facility capacity (hospital vs. ambulatory surgery center vs. office), and population- and individual-level disease burden. Our negative findings suggest the presence of other social determinants of oral health that influence utilization of services (e.g., race/ethnicity, language preference, immigration status, policy and budget goals), which should be explored. Our findings also raise the specter that variation in surgical rates may represent instances of unmet needs or overtreatment.

KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER STATEMENT

The results of this study can be used by clinicians and policy makers as they address policy and clinical interventions to influence children with severe caries. Interventions to change utilization of surgical services on a population level may need to include state-specific factors that extend beyond reimbursement, disease burden, anesthesia provider type, or facility type.

Preclinical Local Anesthesia Education in Dental Schools: A Systematic Review

The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate the published literature on current educational techniques used to teach local anesthesia administration in U.S. dental schools to determine the methods by which potential complications may be minimized and efficacy maximized. A PubMed search was performed in June 2017 on the following terms: (local anesthesia, education, dental) AND (Humans[Mesh]). Out of 136 articles identified, 13 met the study criteria and were included for review. Of those, the nine with outcome measures were included in the qualitative synthesis. With a quality assessment tool designed for this study, the quality of each included article was assessed independently by three of the authors. Three main pedagogies were identified: didactic instruction based on textbooks and lectures, student-to-student injections, and use of anatomic models. However, the effects of these pedagogies on local anesthesia administration efficacy, patient satisfaction, and student confidence in administering local anesthesia were largely not assessed in these studies. Quality assessment of the reviewed articles yielded a mean score of 62% (range 44-83%) for the observational studies and a mean score of 56% (range 47-63%) for the interventional studies. Due to the heterogeneity of the studies assessed, no meta-analysis could be performed. While the experimental and observational studies reviewed provided some insight into the efficacy of current educational techniques, they had numerous methodological inconsistencies. The inconsistency of the available evidence made it difficult to make fully informed curriculum recommendations based on the existing literature.

Effect of warming anesthetic on pain perception during dental injection: a split-mouth randomized clinical trial

BACKGROUND

The purpose of this study is to determine the effectiveness of warming anesthesia on the control of the pain produced during the administration of dental anesthesia injection and to analyze the role of Transient Receptor Potential Vanilloid-1 nociceptor channels in this effect.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A double-blind, split-mouth randomized clinical trial was designed. Seventy-two volunteer students (22.1±2.45 years old; 51 men) from the School of Dentistry at the Universidad Austral de Chile (Valdivia, Chile) participated. They were each administered 0.9 mL of lidocaine HCl 2% with epinephrine 1:100,000 (Alphacaine®) using two injections in the buccal vestibule at the level of the upper lateral incisor teeth. Anesthesia was administered in a hemiarch at 42°C (107.6°F) and after 1 week, anesthesia was administered by randomized sequence on the contralateral side at room temperature (21°C-69.8°F) at a standardized speed. The intensity of pain perceived during the injection was compared using a 100 mm visual analog scale (VAS; Wilcoxon test p<0.05).

RESULTS

The use of anesthesia at room temperature produced an average VAS for pain of 35.3±16.71 mm and anesthesia at 42°C produced VAS for pain of 15±14.67 mm (p<0.001).

CONCLUSION

The use of anesthesia at 42°C significantly reduced the pain during the injection of anesthesia compared to its use at room temperature during maxillary injections. The physiological mechanism of the temperature on pain reduction could be due to a synergic action on the permeabilization of the Transient Receptor Potential Vanilloid-1 channels, allowing the passage of anesthetic inside the nociceptors.

The impact of cardiovascular drugs on the efficacy of local anesthesia in dentistry

BACKGROUND AND AIM

Drugs used chronically by patients with diseases of the cardiovascular system (group C of the ATC classification) may act on adrenergic receptors and/or certain ion channels, which gives them the potential to interact with the action of local dental anesthetics. The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of systemically administered chronic cardiovascular medication (oral route) on the efficacy of intraoral local anesthesia in patients with diseases of the cardiovascular system.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

This was a prospective cohort study which analyzed the efficacy of local terminal anesthesia (onset of anesthesia, duration anesthetized area) in the upper jaw of 70 patients: 40 patients on medication for cardiovascular system disorders and 30 patients who were not using these drugs (the control group). The following cardiovascular drugs were used: beta blockers, angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors, calcium channel blockers, vasodilatators, diuretics, angiotensin receptor blockers, antiarrhythmics, statins and alfa blockers.

RESULTS

The onset of anesthesia on the vestibular side was faster in those taking cardiovascular drugs (40.50±19.87 s) than the control patients (58.93±31.07 s; P = 0.004) and duration of anesthesia on this side was shorter. Although the difference was not significant, it was evident that on vestibular and palatal side the anesthetized area was more rapidly reduced in the patients taking cardiovascular drugs. The duration of cardiovascular therapy also had a significant impact on the anesthetized area.

CONCLUSION

Drugs acting on cardiovascular system may influence the effect of local anesthetics used in dentistry, possibly through interaction with autonomic receptors and ion channels.

The Development of Dental Anesthesiology As a Discipline and Its Role As a Model of Interdisciplinary Collaboration

The majority of dental procedures can be performed with an awake patient and the use of a local anesthetic, but when deep sedation and general anesthesia are needed, they typically are provided by those dentists with advanced training in anesthesiology, i.e., oral and maxillofacial surgeons and dentist anesthesiologists. Dental anesthesiology began with the discovery of anesthesia by a dentist in 1844 and has been recognized as a separate discipline in dentistry for nearly 70 years. Training over this time evolved from apprenticeships to one-year training programs, and in 2007, the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) began accrediting two-year dental anesthesiology training programs. Since 2015, in recognition of the increasing complexity of the discipline, training has required three years of postgraduate study. The number of dentist anesthesiologists has grown with the increasing demand for anesthesia services by both the public and the profession. However, the present number of dentist anesthesiologists is not sufficient to meet the demand, so additional programs and growth in current programs are needed. Another valuable aspect of this discipline is its role as a positive example of interdepartmental collaboration since dental anesthesiology faculty, as members of a support discipline, typically work across many of the other departments in a dental school. This article reviews the history of the discipline, describes the educational goals and CODA standards for dental anesthesiology programs, using one program as an example, and discusses the needs and challenges that will shape the discipline's development in the future.

The Effect of Phentolamine on Reversing Soft Tissue Anesthesia: An Oral Health Technology Assessment Report

Long-lasting numbness of soft tissues such as lips, tongue, and cheeks after dental anesthesia is not only unpleasant but has the potential to cause self-inflicted damage to the numb tissue. Phentolamine mesylate, when injected in vicinity to the site of local anesthesia, accelerates the absorption of local anesthesia. Dental use of this drug was approved in the United States and Canada in 2008 and 2014, respectively. The rapidly increasing popularity of this novel technology (intraoral phentolamine injections) warrants a health technology assessment for clinicians. A medical librarian conducted a systematic literature search (up to March 1, 2016) for any clinical study involving intraoral phentolamine injection. Meta-analysis of the efficacy data from 4 clinical studies supports the role of intraoral phentolamine injections in shortening the duration of numbness after local anesthesia. No publication bias was found in the selected studies. The selected studies identified no serious adverse events other than pain at the site of injection and some postprocedural pain. Our cost-effectiveness analysis shows phentolamine mesylate to be an effective treatment modality when compared with no treatment, sham, or placebo injection. Phentolamine mesylate incurs an additional cost (in US dollars) of $0.13 to $0.16 per minute of reversing the soft tissue local anesthesia and $0.38 to $0.46, when compared with sham or placebo injection, after a noninvasive dental procedure. The literature lacked substantial evidence in favor of clinical benefits, such as a decrease in self-inflicted injuries. Only a subgroup of the dental patient population undergoing specific dental procedures would benefit from accelerated recovery from numbness. Knowledge Transfer Statement: Intraoral phentolamine to reverse numbness is a new intervention with ambiguous utility. With consideration of cost and patient preference, evidence generated by this report may be used in clinical decision making and case selection for this intervention.

Music before Dental Surgery Suppresses Sympathetic Activity Derived from Preoperative Anxiety: A Randomized Controlled Trial

The aim of this study was to estimate the relieving effect of music intervention on preoperative anxiety by using heart rate variability (HRV) analysis. In this randomized controlled trial, 86 adult patients were scheduled to undergo impacted tooth extraction under intravenous sedation and local anesthesia and were classified as either fearful or nonfearful based on a questionnaire. Thereafter, the patients were subdivided into 2 groups: those who listened to music from the time that they arrived at the outpatient clinic until immediately before entering the operating room and those who did not listen to music. The effect of music intervention was evaluated by assessing 1) the low-frequency/high-frequency ratio of HRV, in which positive changes indicate increased sympathetic nervous activity, and 2) the coefficient of component variance for high frequency, in which positive changes indicate increased parasympathetic nervous activity, assessed by means of HRV analysis. Subjective preoperative anxiety was evaluated on a visual analog scale. For fearful patients, the mean magnitude of low-frequency/high frequency changes from baseline among those who listened to music was significantly lower as compared with those who did not listen to music (in the private room: -1.45 ± 1.88 vs. 1.05 ± 1.88, P = 0.0096, 95% confidence interval of effect size = -4.52 to -0.48, Cohen's d = -0.75; in the operating waiting room: -2.18 ± 2.39 vs. -0.10 ± 3.37, P = 0.011, 95% confidence interval of effect size = -3.94 to -0.22, Cohen's d = -0.71, respectively). Visual analog scale scores were also significantly different. Coefficient of component variance for high frequency and heart rate did not differ significantly between the 2 groups. From the perspective of autonomic nervous activity, music intervention is useful for relieving anxiety in patients with dental fear before they enter a dental outpatient operating room. Music intervention may relieve anxiety by reducing sympathetic nervous activity, while parasympathetic nervous activity is not involved (UMIN000016882). Knowledge Transfer Statement: The results of this study revealed that music intervention is useful for clinicians when planning preoperative anxiety management of patients with dental fear who undergo impacted tooth extraction under intravenous sedation and local anesthesia. As a bridging intervention, music intervention enables stress management to continue uninterrupted from the patient's arrival at the dental outpatient clinic to intravenous sedation until completion of the dental surgery. With consideration of cost-effectiveness, absence of adverse physical effects, immediate effect, safety in terms of not using drugs, and lack of concerns about recovery, this information could lead to more appropriate decisions regarding anxiety management in dentistry.

Intranasal midazolam may prevent gagging reflex: a case report

Background

Gagging can become a conditioned response that makes dental treatment difficult or impossible for both the individual and the dentist. The aim of this study is to report a 50 year old female and two children (15 and 11 years old) with exaggerated gag reflex referred to Faculty of Dentistry of Selçuk University.

Methods

During obtaining records, taking impression procedure was elicited the patients’ hypersensitive gagging reflex. Therefore, it was decided to administer intranasal midazolam to facilitate the taking of accurate dental impressions. After given verbal information about the procedure, 2.5 mg intranasal midazolam (Demizolam, Dem Medikal, Istanbul) were applied incrementally in both nostrils.

Results

Five minutes later; patients had no gagging reflex and allowed the clinician to take satisfying impressions. No serious adverse effects were observed and the patients remained cooperative during the entire procedure which was completed to the full satisfaction of all involved. The short absorption time and the fast relief process of anaesthetics transferred to the systemic circulatory system are important advantages of nasal application.

Conclusions

Intranasal midazolam may be very useful for the treatment of gag reflex probably effecting on the depression of upper airway reflex sensitivity.

Computerized dental injection fear treatment: a randomized clinical trial

One in four adults reports a clinically significant fear of dental injections, leading many to avoid dental care. While systematic desensitization is the most common therapeutic method for treating specific phobias such as fear of dental injections, lack of access to trained therapists, as well as dentists' lack of training and time in providing such a therapy, means that most fearful individuals are not able to receive the therapy needed to be able to receive necessary dental treatment. Computer Assisted Relaxation Learning (CARL) is a self-paced computerized treatment based on systematic desensitization for dental injection fear. This multicenter, block-randomized, dentist-blind, parallel-group study conducted in 8 sites in the United States compared CARL with an informational pamphlet in reducing fear of dental injections. Participants completing CARL reported significantly greater reduction in self-reported general and injection-specific dental anxiety measures compared with control individuals (p < .001). Twice as many CARL participants (35.3%) as controls (17.6%) opted to receive a dental injection after the intervention, although this was not statistically significant. CARL, therefore, led to significant changes in self-reported fear in study participants, but no significant differences in the proportion of participants having a dental injection.

Dental students' familiarity with the medical management of dental patients at Brazilian dental schools

Drug therapy in dentistry is essential for patients' treatment and requires special care by dentists, so it must be part of a well-grounded education for predoctoral dental students. The aim of this study was to evaluate the knowledge of undergraduate students at dental schools in Brazil about the use of drugs in dental practice. The sample universe was comprised of all undergraduates enrolled in the last year of the dentistry course in three universities in 2010 (n=253). Inclusion criteria were students in their last year of enrollment and who agreed to participate in the research. The results were analyzed on Epi Info 3.5.1 software. Analyses were conducted with chi-square, Friedman, and Wilcoxon tests. Slightly more than half of the participants (51.9 percent) reported the ideal dose of anesthetic for a normal patient. However, their difficulties increased when asked about the relationship between the anesthetic and patients with systemic disease or those needing special care. Regarding drugs that usually cause allergic attack, only 29.2 percent and 36.6 percent, respectively, cited methyl methacrylate and latex. This study found that the knowledge of these undergraduates about the questions was deficient, so dental education should include more theoretical and clinical practice in recognizing the patient's medical needs.

Anterior and middle superior alveolar nerve block for anesthesia of maxillary teeth using conventional syringe

Background:

Dental procedures in the maxilla typically require multiple injections and may inadvertently anesthetize facial structures and affect the smile line. To minimize these inconveniences and reduce the number of total injections, a relatively new injection technique has been proposed for maxillary procedures, the anterior and middle superior alveolar (AMSA) nerve block, which achieves pulpal anesthesia from the central incisor to second premolar through palatal approach with a single injection. The purpose of this article is to provide background information on the anterior and middle superior alveolar nerve block and demonstrate its success rates of pulpal anesthesia using the conventional syringe.

Materials and Methods:

Thirty Caucasian patients (16 men and 14 women) with an average age of 22 years-old, belonging to the School of Dentistry of Los Andes University, were selected. All the patients received an AMSA nerve block on one side of the maxilla using the conventional syringe, 1 ml of lidocaine 2% with epinephrine 1:100.000 was injected to all the patients.

Results:

The AMSA nerve block obtained a 66% anesthetic success in the second premolar, 40% in the first premolar, 60% in the canine, 23.3% in the lateral incisor, and 16.7% in the central incisor.

Conclusions:

Because of the unpredictable anesthetic success of the experimental teeth and variable anesthesia duration, the technique is disadvantageous for clinical application as the first choice, counting with other techniques that have greater efficacy in the maxilla. Although, anesthetizing the teeth without numbing the facial muscles may be useful in restorative dentistry.

Transverse cervical nerve: implications for dental anesthesia

The inferior alveolar nerve block (IANB) has the highest failure incidence of any dental anesthetic technique. Many authors have outlined potential reasons for these failures in permanent lower molars, including accessory innervations from the mylohyoid and mental foramen. However, the potential accessory innervation of posterior mandibular teeth from the transverse cervical nerve (TCN), a branch of ventral rami from the C2-C3 spinal nerves from the cervical plexus (CP), has been difficult to assess as a result of the small size and thickness of the mandibular accessory foramina and nerve branches, as well as due to the dissection technique performed. The goal of this study was to identify and trace the CP branches from fresh human cadaver tissue samples using the Sihler's technique. Two fresh human cadaver samples were used. Samples were fixed in neutralized formalin, macerated in potassium hydroxide, decalcified in acetic acid, stained in Ehrlich's hematoxylin, destained in acetic acid, and cleared in glycerin. Both specimens skin was dissected. The Sihler's technique delineated all nerves three dimensionally and helped to disclose structures of small size and thickness. The TCN from the CP, stained in blue, innervated the posterior mandible in one of the two samples. These results confirmed that the CP may supply accessory innervation to the inferior border of the posterior mandible through the TCN. These findings illustrate variations of anatomy that may account for IANB failures in posterior mandibular teeth and allows for clinical decisions for implementing supplemental anesthetic techniques.