The influence of two different dental local anaesthetic solutions on the haemodynamic responses of children undergoing restorative dentistry: a randomised, single-blind, split-mouth study.

This investigation was designed to study the haemodynamic effects of two different local anaesthetic solutions during restorative dental treatment in children. A randomised, single-blind, split-mouth cross-over design was employed using children undergoing bilaterally similar restorative treatments over two visits. The study was performed in a dental hospital paediatric dentistry department. Ten children participated. At one visit the local anaesthetic was 2% lidocaine (lignocaine) with 1:80,000 epinephrine (adrenaline); at the other the anaesthetic was 3% prilocaine with 0.03IU/ml felypressin. Local anaesthetic was administered at a dose of 0.5 ml/10 kg body weight. Blood pressure and heart rate were measured before and during treatment with an automatic blood pressure recorder. Data were analysed by ANOVA and Student's paired t test. Significant differences between treatments in diastolic blood pressure (F = 2.37; P = 0.05) and heart rate (F = 2.98; P< 0.02) were noted. The heart rate increased ten minutes following the injection of the epinephrine-containing solution. The diastolic blood pressure fell 20 minutes after injection of lidocaine with epinephrine. The choice of local anaesthetic solution influences the haemodynamic response during restorative treatment in children.