Objective: This review considers the use of topical anaesthetics in the mou
th to reduce the discomfort of local anaesthetic injections and intra-oral
operative procedures.
Data sources: Electronic literature search using Pub Med, manual search of
references within papers found by the primary search and manual searching o
f abstracts from scientific meetings.
Study selection: The articles selected for this review investigate or used
topical anaesthesia in dental procedures.
Conclusions: The use of topical anaesthetics does not guarantee pain-free d
ental local anaesthesia. Efficacy is dependent upon the duration of applica
tion and the gauge of needle used. Evidence is available that the use of to
pical anaesthesia alone is sufficient to perform some intraoral procedures
including periodontal manipulations, operative dentistry and oral surgery.
(C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.