Drug Interactions with Local Anaesthetic Preparations used by Primary Care Dental Practitioners

From Volume 37, Issue 4, May 2010 | Pages 236-241

Authors

Simone Henderson

BPharm

Medicines Information Pharmacist, North West Medicines Information Centre and National Dental Medicines Information Service, Pharmacy Practice Unit, 70 Pembroke Place, Liverpool L69 3GF, UK

Articles by Simone Henderson

Abstract

A number of drug interactions that may potentially occur with local anaesthetic preparations are listed in the British National Formulary (BNF) and Summaries of Product Characteristics (SmPC). Many are theoretical or are associated with higher doses of local anaesthetic preparations than those used for dental procedures in primary care. Reports of serious interactions between medicines and local anaesthetic preparations occurring in dental practice are exceedingly rare. Practitioners can minimize the risk of interactions by using an aspirating syringe, which reduces the likelihood of the local anaesthetic being administered directly into a blood vessel. Adhering to the dosage recommendations in the product literature will also minimize the risk. This paper will explore the clinical significance of potential interactions between dental local anaesthetic preparations used in primary care and other medicines as listed in the BNF and SmPCs. These are summarized in Tables 1 and 2.

Article

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