Drug interactions with local anaesthetic preparations used by primary care dental practitioners.

UNLABELLED: A number of drug interactions that may potentially occur with local anaesthetic preparations are listed in the British National Formulary (BNF) and Summaries of Product Characteristics (SmPC). Many are theoretical or are associated with higher doses of local anaesthetic preparations than those used for dental procedures in primary care. Reports of serious interactions between medicines and local anaesthetic preparations occurring in dental practice are exceedingly rare. Practitioners can minimize the risk of interactions by using an aspirating syringe, which reduces the likelihood of the local anaesthetic being administered directly into a blood vessel. Adhering to the dosage recommendations in the product literature will also minimize the risk. This paper will explore the clinical significance of potential interactions between dental local anaesthetic preparations used in primary care and other medicines as listed in the BNF and SmPCs.These are summarized in Tables 1 and 2.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE: A knowledge of potential drug interactions with local anaesthetic preparations is essential for clinicians.