Periodontal ligament injection in the dog primary dentition: spread of local anaesthetic solution

The spread of local anaesthetic solution administered with a pressure syringe has not been studied as extensively in young animals having primary or mixed dentitions as in adult animals. The purpose of this investigation was to study the distribution of local anaesthetic solution injected into the periodontal ligament of young dogs. India ink was added to carpules containing 2% lidocaine and 1:100,000 epinephrine, and the spread of solution was examined macroscopically and microscopically. Injections were made with a pressure syringe (Ligmaject) at 58 sites mesial and distal to primary teeth in five dogs aged 3-9 months. Three dogs were killed within 12 hours, the other two after 5 days. Spread of the ink was studied in non-decalcified slabs, in three-dimensional cleared specimens, and in histological sections. The solution usually reached the alveolar bone crest, seeped under the periosteum and alongside vascular channels into bone marrow, reaching natural cavities such as the crypts of tooth buds and the mandibular canal. The ink did not penetrate into the enamel organ or contact the permanent tooth buds. The solution appeared to spread along the path of least resistance, governed by the intricacies of anatomical structures and fascial planes. Therefore the risk of mechanical damage to permanent tooth germs appears to be minimal.