[Local anesthesia in children and mentally handicapped]

Pain belief and pain thresholds vary greatly in children and mentally disabled persons. Whereas adults may tolerate discomfort and remain cooperative, children and mentally disabled persons become frightened when they are hurt and will not cooperate further. Effective pain control is a prerequisite for their successful treatment. There are several ways of producing dental anaesthesia, of which local anaesthesia remains the most widely used technique. The main issue is the preparation of the child and the parents for local anaesthesia. This article offers tools for this preparation, administering and control of local anaesthesia in children and mentally disabled persons.