Local anesthesia: advances in agents and techniques

The improvements in agents and techniques for local anesthesia are possibly the most important advances in dental science to have occurred in the past 100 years. The agents currently available in dentistry have most of the characteristics of an ideal local anesthetic. Today's anesthetics can be administered with minimal irritation and little concern for stimulating allergic reactions. A variety of agents are available that provide rapid onset of surgical anesthesia with adequate duration. This article provides a brief review of the local anesthetic agents, formulations, and techniques used in dentistry with special emphasis on newly introduced agents and procedures.