Local anaesthetics in pediatric dental practice (literature review)

Abstract

Relevance.  To date, painless, comfortable dental treatment of adults and children remains a priority for modern dentistry. It is of note that children specifically need adequate pain relief more than others since negative emotions received in childhood can determine the relationship between the dentist and the patient for the rest of their lives. Local anaesthetics, the preferred method of anaesthesia in pediatric dentistry, come to the aid of doctors. However, the question arises about the correct selection of a local anaesthetic and its concentration. There is a lot of research on this topic; however, not all local anaesthetics used in adult patients are safe enough and justified for use in pediatric dentistry. In addition, on the market today, there are a lot of anaesthetic drugs, various forms of presentation, types, concentrations and combinations. All of the above sets high demands on the dentist.Purpose. To analyze and systematize scientific research on local anaesthetics in pediatric dental practice.Material and methods. The main research method was the analysis of literature on the topic. Based on established PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) criteria, publications were searched in the Medline PubMed and E-library databases by the keywords: "pediatric dentistry", "local anaesthetics", "pain relief", and "anaesthesia".Results. The analysis of the presented studies demonstrated a variety of used means and methods of local anaesthesia in children.Conclusion. Pediatric dental practice dictates special rules for the treatment of patients; in each case, the doctor must take into account the data of the medical history and the level of anxiety of the child for a reasonable choice of ways and method of local anaesthesia.