The Potential of the Nasal Mucosa Route

Although few dentists have performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), considering the number of dental patients seen in a typical clinic, the possibility cannot be ignored that CPR might become necessary during clinical dental treatment. During CPR, intravenous (IV) injection of various drugs, such as epinephrine, may be necessary; however, it is difficult for dentists with no special training to expeditiously establish an IV access route and administer drugs to patients with circulatory collapse. In such circumstances, several alternative emergency administration routes have been reported. However, traditional alternative administration routes are not necessarily effective for most dentists due to complications or technical restrictions. The purpose of this study was to show that it is possible in beagle dogs to expeditiously transfer epinephrine from the nasal mucosa to the general circulation using dental needleless injectors and that the nasal mucosa is useful as a simple alternative emergency administration route.