Sulfite, asthma and vasoconstrictors

The use of vasoconstrictors in dentistry has always been a topic of controversy for the medically compromised patient. Over the past few years, dentists have been warned not to use local anesthetics with vasoconstrictors in asthmatic patients. In this article, the authors question the rationale behind these recommendations and explain why the warning should be restricted to steroid-dependent asthmatic patients.