Prilocaine — an investigation into its use in the presence of inflammation and in combination with lignocaine》.pdf

Journal of Dentistry, 9, No. 3, 1981, pp. 240-247 Printed in Great Britain Prilocaine*- an investigation into its use in the presence of inflammation and in combination with lignocaine J. P. Rood, MDS, MB BS, FDS RCS P. E. Caruana, BDS, FDS RCS M. Danford, BDS S. Pateromichelakis, DPhil Department of Oral and Maxilla-Facial Surgery, King’s College Hospital Dental School, London ABSTRACT Clinical and laboratory investigations were carried out to assess the possible value of prilocaine local anaesthetic solutions in the presence of inflammation and to identify any apparent benefit in using lignocaine and prilocaine solutions in combination. Failures of 2 per cent lignocaine solution to induce analgesia in the presence of inflammation are best overcome by using 5 per cent lignocaine solution with 1 in 80 000 adrenaline and not using the 3 per cent or 4 per cent prilocaine preparations commercially available in the UK. There is no potentiation of lignocaine by prilocaine and therefore no particular benefit in using combinations of these drugs. INTRODUCTION Several local anaesthetic agents are available for use in dental surgery. Most of them have very similar properties although some individual benefit is claimed for each in certain circum- stances. The most commonly used preparation in the UK is a 2 per cent solution of lignocaine hydrochloride containing 1 in 80000 adrenaline as a vasoconstrictor. Despite its extremely successful record some failures to achieve satisfactory analgesia do occur although