The Safe and Effective Use of Local Anesthesia in the Pediatric Dental Patient

The management of pain and anxiety are two critical components of a successful dental practice. Though local anesthetics are the safest and most effective drugs in medicine for the prevention of perioperative pain, it is in the younger, well-behaved patient where significant complications (e.g., overdose) are most apt to arise.

Additionally, many younger children are fearful about their upcoming dental treatment. Sedation can be the answer . . . If carried out safely.

In this program, Doctor Malamed will discuss the safe use of both local anesthetics and sedation in the pediatric dental patient. Overdose of local anesthetics will be reviewed, including maximum recommended doses (MRDs) of local anesthetics; the local anesthetic overdose scenario (‘How to do it’); recognition & management of local anesthetic overdose (‘How to treat it’).

Techniques of pediatric sedation will also be discussed, primarily the oral and inhalation (N2O-O2) routes.

Learning Objectives: