The DP is not recommended by the manufacturer for use in children younger than 12 years, since the clinical trials have not been performed for children. The DP contained 46.1 mg of lidocaine, which is the equivalent to the amount of lidocaine found in 1.28 cartridges of 2% lidocaine with 1:100,000 epinephrine. The peak lidocaine [...]

Twenty-eight subjects were enrolled (12 girls and 16 boys). The subjects ranged in age from 6.4 to 17.4 years, with a mean age of 11.3 years (SD = 3.5 years). Nineteen of the subjects had sealants placed on 2 teeth. Nine subjects had sealants placed on 4 teeth.

All subjects were patients of record at the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry Pediatric Dental Clinic. The parent signed a consent form, which described the procedure, for each subject. Subjects who were 8 years and older had to sign a child’s assent form, which described the procedure.

Topical application of local anesthetic agents may not have adequate clinical effect for certain procedures in pediatric dentistry. One such procedure is the placement of a rubber dam clamp before the application of sealants or preventive resin restorations. The current alternative to facilitate these procedures is a local anesthetic injection, which can be painful and [...]