The most widely used method for controlling pain during dental procedures is the intraoral administration of local anesthetics in close proximity to a specific nerve or fiber to obtund nerve…
The use of systemically absorbed drugs in the gravid and in the lactating patient is of concern to the dentist. This article reviews concerns for the health and safety of…
Dentistry has two medications in its pain management armamentarium that may cause the potentially life-threatening disorder methemoglobinemia. The first medications are the topical local anesthetics benzocaine and prilocaine. The second…
Phentolamine mesylate, at dosages from 0.4 to 0.8 mg in adults and adolescents and at dosages from 0.2 to 0.4 mg in children aged 4 to 11 years, has been…
True allergic reactions to local anesthetics are rare adverse reactions. At the most, they represent less than 1% of all adverse local anesthetic reactions. When true allergic reactions have been…
Although the use of long-acting local anesthetics has become a useful therapeutic approach for managing peri- and postoperative pain, recent evidence reveals unexpected outcomes. This article reviews the clinical use…
In 2000, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the use of 4% articaine with epinephrine 1:100,000, and with epinephrine 1:200,000 in 2006. Articaine has been commonly compared with…
Infiltration is preferred to regional block techniques in the maxilla as the former offers a number of advantages. This paper considers the evidence for the efficacy of infiltration anesthesia in…
Local anesthetics are commonly used in both dentistry and medicine. These drugs are also used in some office-based medical practices. Except for minor procedures, most physicians who require complicated nerve…
The development of safe and effective local anesthetic agents has possibly been the most important advancement in dental science to occur in the last century. The agents currently available in…
Salivary gland abnormalities and salivary dysfunction are important orofacial disorders. Patients with such problems are usually seen in the dental office for evaluation and therapy, and the dental practitioner is…
Dental implantology based on osseointegration is among the most significant advances in dental science in the last 50 years. Imaging technology contributes to all stages of implant treatment, from presurgical…
Periodontitis is an inflammatory disease of bacterial origin that results in the progressive destruction of the tissues that support the teeth, specifically the gingiva, periodontal ligament, and alveolar bone. The…
This article discusses the classic autoimmune diseases: pemphigus vulgaris, mucosal pemphigoid, and oral lichen planus. These are generally considered of autoimmune origin or, at a minimum, immune system mediated. Cause,…
This article addresses several issues in the approach to diagnosis of oral cancer. The term oral cancer is clarified. Key aspects of the biologic basis of development of oral cancer…
Salivary diagnostics is a dynamic and emerging field utilizing nanotechnology and molecular diagnostics to aid in the diagnosis of oral and systemic diseases. In this article the author critically reviews…
This article reviews the diagnostic process, from the first clinically evident stages of the caries process to development of pulpal pathosis. The caries diagnostic process includes 4 interconnected components–staging caries…
There are many types of pain conditions that are felt in the orofacial structures. Most of the conditions treated by the dentist are associated with the teeth, periodontal structures, and…
Although all dentists are taught about the importance of oral health to general health and that systemic disease can manifest in the oral cavity, the 4-year dental school curriculum does…
When first case examples presents to a dentist, a patient may have a specific complaint, be in need of routine evaluation, or arrive on referral from another health care provider….
