Local anaesthetic may harm the development of children’s teeth
A study led by Dr Bing Hu at Plymouth University Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry, involving researchers from China and Switzerland, suggests that the use of local anaesthetic may affect tooth cell growth and the development of children’s teeth.
According to the team researching local anaesthetic, dental treatment involves more frequent use of the anaesthetic than any other clinical area. Although the maximum dosage of various local anaesthetics has been established, the side effects of local anaesthetics on dental tissue have not been fully investigated until now.
The research used pig teeth and human permanent young tooth pulp cells to identify that local anaesthetics, which are commonly used in dental clinics, can affect the growth of tooth cells.
Whilst the study has identified a potential harmful effect of local anaesthetic on developing teeth, the research team emphasises the fact that further clinical studies are needed before there is enough data to support their study and change clinical guidelines. They have also noted that parents should not be alarmed or withdraw their children from treatment if they need it.
Dr Bing Hu said that the study has ‘shown for the first time the evidence that local anaesthetic may affect the development of children’s teeth in cellular and molecular levels’. He noted that the team accepted that they need to ‘carry out further clinical studies,’ and emphasised that ‘we do not wish for our findings to alarm parents unnecessarily, but we do expect, in time, to improve clinical guidelines through our research to minimise the dosage of local anaesthetic drugs’.
He continued to say that the team’s findings ‘emphasise the need for parents to help their children to avoid the need for dental surgery, such as tooth extractions, in the first place, by paying attention to diet and good oral hygiene, and regular visits to the dentist’.
