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Sniffing anaesthetic may replace dentist’s needle
14th May 2010
New evidence suggests that sniffing a local anaesthetic could replace the needle used by dentists in certain procedures.
Administered as nose drops or a nasal spray, travels through the main nerve in the face and collects in high concentrations in the teeth, jaw, and structures of the mouth.
The discovery could lead to a new generation of intranasal drugs for non-invasive treatment for dental pain, migraine, and other conditions, scientists suggest.
The report is published in the American Chemical Society's bi-monthly journal Molecular Pharmaceutics. The article is scheduled for the journal's May-June issue.
William H. Frey II and colleagues note that drugs administered to the nose travel along nerves and go directly to the brain.
One of those nerves is the trigeminal nerve, which brings feelings to the face, nose and mouth.
Until now, however, scientists never checked to see whether intranasal drugs passing along that nerve might reach the teeth, gums and other areas of the face and mouth to reduce pain sensations in the face and mouth.
Neil Johnson, working in the labs of Frey and Leah R. Hanson, Ph.D., at Regions Hospital in St. Paul, Minn., found that lidocaine or Xylocaine, sprayed into the noses of laboratory rats, quickly travelled down the trigeminal nerve and collected in their teeth, jaws, and mouths at levels 20 times higher than in the blood or brain.
The approach could provide a more effective and targeted method for treating dental pain/anxiety, trigeminal neuralgia (severe facial pain), migraine, and other conditions, the scientists say.
The experts discovered an improved future location to administer anaesthetic, the maxillary sinus.
Delivery into this confined space may be the next generation approach beyond a nasal spray in providing a more rapid and focused delivery of anaesthetic.
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