Adverse reaction to dental local anaesthetic injection--'allergy' is not the cause
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Updated: Oct 10, 2026

Measuring Local Anaphylaxis in Mice
Published on: October 14, 2014
1GKT Dental Institute, King's College Hospital, London.
Objective:
To investigate patients considered to have experienced allergic reactions to local anaesthetics administered for dental treatment.
Setting:
Dental facility within a general hospital.
Procedure:
Skin and intra-oral challenge tests.
Results:
No patients were found to be allergic to lignocaine or prilocaine. The most likely causes of the adverse reactions were found to be psychogenic.
Conclusion:
Although allergy to lignocaine (and the other amide anaesthetic agents used in dentistry) is known to be extremely rare, it continues to be suggested as a cause when adverse reactions to dental injections occur. Psychogenic reactions are the main causes of untoward events, and some can be alarming. A smaller proportion of adverse responses can be attributed to (avoidable) intravascular injections. Adverse reactions can be reduced if injections are administered carefully.
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