Local anaesthesia: to warm or alter the pH? A survey of current practice

Warming or buffering local anaesthetic solutions prior to injection has been shown to reduce the pain experienced by patients. Although clinical practice varies widely, this practice has been commonplace within dental surgery for many years. A postal survey was carried out to ascertain the current practices of a group of general surgeons and maxillofacial surgeons with regard to their local anaesthetic technique. Significant differences existed between the two groups in both their practice and knowledge of this subject.