Dental local anaesthetics and latex: advice for the dental practitioner.

UNLABELLED: Natural rubber latex (NRL) is present in many medical products, including disposable gloves, adhesive tape and bungs in medicine vials. People sensitized to NRL are at risk of developing allergic reactions, which can present with delayed symptoms such as a localized red itchy rash, or with immediate symptoms such as itching of the skin and eyes, sneezing, bronchospasm or anaphylactic shock. People sensitized to NRL should avoid contact with all products that contain it, either in the product itself, in the packaging or introduced during the manufacturing process or storage. This paper highlights the implications of latex allergy in patients for dental healthcare staff, and provides a list of local anaesthetic preparations used in dentistry in the UK which are latex free.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE: All dental staff need to be aware of latex allergy and know where to find information on latex content of dental local anaesthetics.