The Journal of the American Dental Association
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To achieve profound dental local anesthesia, it is necessary for the dentist to have a thorough knowledge of the details of sensory innervation to the maxilla and mandible. Since the early 1970s, dentistry has experienced a resurgence of interest in the neuroanatomical basis of local anesthesia, resulting in numerous scientific reports on the subject. ⋯ An understanding of the potential variations in innervation should help the dentist improve his or her ability to induce profound local anesthesia.
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Clinical Trial Controlled Clinical Trial
Injection pain of bupivacaine with epinephrine vs. prilocaine plain.
Prilocaine plain has been described in the literature as causing less pain on injection than bupivacaine with epinephrine, possibly because of the higher pH of the prilocaine anesthetic solution. ⋯ Under clinical conditions, the injection of bupivacaine with epinephrine causes significantly more perceived pain than does the injection of prilocaine plain. Clinical Implications. Bupivacaine with epinephrine and prilocaine plain have certain advantages and disadvantages that should be considered before choosing an anesthetic for a dental procedure. A disadvantage of bupivacaine with epinephrine is that it produces more perceived pain than does prilocaine plain.
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Platelet-rich plasma, or PRP, has become a valuable adjunct in wound healing in dentistry. Postsurgically, blood clots initiate the healing and regeneration of hard and soft tissues. Clinicians and scientists are investigating the use of PRP in dentistry as a way to enhance the body's natural wound-healing mechanisms. TYPES OF ARTICLES REVIEWED: The authors reviewed scientific articles that discuss the basic knowledge of wound healing mechanisms and that directly studied the growth factors shown to be concentrated in PRP. They also reviewed articles written by clinicians and researchers in dentistry fields, including oral and maxillofacial surgery and periodontics to determine applications of PRP in the field of dentistry. ⋯ PRP has proven to be effective at improving surgical results in a variety of procedures in the field of oral and maxillofacial surgery. PRP also shows promise in periodontal regenerative therapy and should continue to be studied by scientists and clinicians alike.