As I sat down to write this editorial, I wondered how many people could say they received specialty recognition from the American Dental Association (ADA) as a birthday gift? My initial thought was that there were likely not many. This past March 10th marked your current editor's 39th year on planet Earth; a day which passed relatively uneventfully, aside from the delightful customary celebration with my immediate family, involving a few small gifts and a cake topped with a candle or two. However, on March 11th, the news of the National Commission on Recognition of Dental Specialties and Certifying Boards
Anesthesiology has been the practice of dentistry since dentists Horace Wells (1844) and William T. G. Morton (1846) first discovered the miracle of anesthesia for painless surgery by administering nitrous oxide and diethyl ether, respectively. Fortunately for the good of mankind, Dr Morton administered it for a patient of the chief of surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital, John Collins Warren, MD, who was a dean at the Harvard Medical School and a primary founder of the New England Journal of Medicine and Surgery. Dr Warren was absolutely amazed that Dr Morton kept his patient quietly asleep during the
This study was conducted to compare pain perception of intraligamentary anesthesia (ILA) using a computer-controlled local anesthetic delivery system (CCLADS) versus a conventional intraligamentary injection for extraction of primary molars. A randomized controlled trial was designed where 82 children requiring 102 primary molar extractions were given ILA of 2% lidocaine with 1:80,000 epinephrine with either the conventional method or a CCLADS. Pain during injection and extraction was assessed using the Sound, Eye, Motor (SEM) scale and heart rate recording. Faces Pain Scale–Revised (FPS) scores were self-reported by patients. The Mann-Whitney test was used for evaluation of FPS and SEM scores and Student's t test for evaluation of heart rate readings. Heart rate values during injection were found to be higher, but not statistically significantly higher (p = .077), for conventional injection versus CCLADS; however, heart rate values during extraction were significantly higher for the conventional method (p = .009). Both FPS and SEM values were found to be significantly higher for conventional ILA technique (p < .05). ILA can be an effective alternative means of anesthesia for primary molar extractions, and CCLADS devices can make ILA more effective and less painful.
A statewide decennial survey was sent to practicing dentists holding sedation or general anesthesia permits to identify office sedation/general anesthesia trends and practices over the last 10 years. This survey constitutes the third such survey, spanning a total of 20 years. Of the 234 respondents in the 2016 survey, 34% held an Illinois moderate sedation permit and 64% held a general anesthesia permit. Oral and maxillofacial surgeons represented the majority of respondents (143/234; 61%). The remainder of responses were from general dentists (39; 17%) pediatric dentists (32; 14%), periodontists (16; 7%), dentist anesthesiologists (3; 1.3%) and 1 periodontist/dentist anesthesiologist. Surveys over the 20 years revealed the following significant trends: an increase in practitioners current in advanced cardiac life support certification, an increase in the number of non-oral maxillofacial surgeons with a sedation permit, an increase in providers of moderate sedation, and an increase in offices equipped with end-tidal CO2 and electrocardiogram monitoring. However, a number of providers were identified as not compliant with certain state mandates. For example, many respondents failed to meet minimum office team staffing requirements during sedation, hold semiannual office emergency drills, and establish written emergency management protocols.
After review of the literature, there appears to be no report on the histology of the mandibular nerve fiber distribution. Therefore, using a Wistar rat model, immunohistochemical staining with protein gene product (PGP) and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) antibody for all nerves and only the pain-sensitive nerves, respectively, was performed. We also statistically compared the nerve distribution density by mandibular region. The section of the mandible from the alveolar crest to the mandibular canal was compartmentalized to several regions. Subsequently, nerve distribution density by region was measured microscopically in both the PGP- and CGRP-positive nerves. Furthermore, the ratio of CGRP- to PGP-positive nerves was measured in each region and statistically compared. In both the PGP- and CGRP-positive nerves, the nerve distribution density significantly increased vertically toward the mandibular canal from the alveolar crest and horizontally toward the periodontal ligament from the periosteum. From the CGRP- to PGP-positive nerve ratio, the pain-sensitive nerve accounted for approximately >70% in each region. Pain would therefore be more likely to develop when surgical invasiveness deepens toward the mandibular canal or periodontal ligament. Therefore, sufficient local anesthetic infiltration and/or combined use of conduction anesthesia or periodontal ligament injection may be required. These results may aid in the development of more effective surgical and anesthetic techniques for mandibular surgery.
We performed general anesthesia on a 3-year-old boy with glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency. Patients with G6PD deficiency exhibit jaundice and anemia due to hemolysis caused by a lack of the G6PD enzyme. To maintain anesthesia, we used propofol and remifentanil, which may prevent hemolytic attacks by exerting an antioxidant effect. In addition, because the patient was in a high-risk group for the development of methemoglobinemia, we used mepivacaine as a local anesthetic. We liaised with the patient's attending physician to make sufficient arrangements, such as securing an emergency transfer on the day of anesthesia. The patient did not develop hemolytic attacks during or after the procedure, and he progressed well without problems.
Patients with dental phobia frequently require intravenous sedation to complete dental treatment. We encountered a case of a patient who received frequent sedation by propofol, which required escalation in the dosage of propofol required. The patient was a healthy young female with severe dental phobia, and the dental procedures were initiated under intravenous sedation. Intravenous sedation was administered to the patient more than 100 times over 9 years, and the dosages were analyzed. The mean dosage of propofol administered per hour was 6.9 ± 2.4 mg/kg/h, and the dosage tended to increase with frequency (0.06–0.1 mg/kg/h in each administration). Increased dosage was needed with a shorter interval between sedations after 30 episodes of sedation. Regarding the mean dosage of propofol per hour, the step-down method exhibited the highest increase in dosage rate of 0.18 mg/kg/h per administration followed by target-controlled infusion at 0.07 mg/kg/h per administration and combination sedation at 0.06 mg/kg/h per administration. We discuss factors that may be associated with acute tolerance to propofol when frequent propofol sedations are provided.
Ludwig's angina (LA) is a gangrenous cellulitis of the neck that spreads via continuity of the fascial planes. Treatment of LA includes aggressive antibiotic therapy as well as surgical drainage in many cases. The most common cause of infection is odontogenic and can be due to both aerobic and anaerobic bacteria. Signs and symptoms of LA include bilateral cervical swelling, dysphagia, drooling, neck tenderness, elevation and posterior distension of the tongue, restricted neck movement, trismus, dyspnea, and stridor, which can result in difficult airway management. Proper preoperative assessment of patients with LA should include identifying features that may cause difficulties with mask ventilation, direct laryngoscopy, and intubation. Alternative methods of ventilation should be considered and immediately accessible, including a plan on how and when they would be used in the event that a patient cannot be mask ventilated or intubated. Marking external anatomical airway landmarks prior to manipulating the airway can save vital time if an emergent airway becomes necessary.
At a recent consensus conference, the Malignant Hyperthermia Association of the United States addressed 6 important and unresolved clinical questions concerning the optimal management of patients with malignant hyperthermia (MH) susceptibility or acute MH. They include the following: (1) How much dantrolene should be available in facilities where volatile agents are not available or administered, and succinylcholine is stocked on site only for emergencyLitman RS, Smith VI, Larach MG, et al. Consensus statement of the Malignant Hyperthermia Association of the United States on unresolved clinical questions concerning the management of patients with malignant hyperthermia. Anesth Analg. 2019;128:652–659.