Recent advances and perspectives in topical oral anesthesia

Area of Science:

• Dentistry
• Pharmaceutics
• Biomaterials

Background:

• Topical anesthesia is crucial in dentistry but often lacks efficacy.
• Current formulations may not consistently achieve successful pain reduction.
• Fear of local anesthesia remains a significant patient concern.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review drug delivery systems (DDSs) for dental topical anesthesia.
• To explore chemical and physical methods for enhancing anesthesia.
• To provide an overview of relevant clinical trials and future directions.

Main Methods:

• Overview of oral mucosa structure and permeability.
• Review of nanostructured carriers (liposomes, nanoparticles, etc.) and dosage forms (patches, hydrogels).
• Analysis of physical methods (pre-cooling, vibration, iontophoresis, microneedles).

Main Results:

• Various DDSs, including nanocarriers and advanced dosage forms, show potential.
• Physical methods can significantly enhance topical anesthetic efficacy.
• Combining chemical and physical approaches is a promising strategy.

Conclusions:

• Drug delivery systems and physical methods can improve topical anesthesia in dentistry.
• Optimizing these approaches can lead to more effective and patient-friendly pain management.
• Further clinical trials are needed to validate these advanced methods for widespread use.