Systemic toxicity by local anesthesia in dentistry: literature review

Abstract

Introduction: Toxicity can be defined as the inherent capacity and potential of the toxic agent to cause harmful effects in living organisms. The toxic effect is generally proportional to the concentration of the toxic agent. In dentistry, cases of toxicities are often the result of overdose of local anesthetics, so the professional must avoid possible systemic toxicities. Objective: This study aims to conduct a literature review on the toxicity caused by local anesthetics used in dentistry. Materials and Methods: Searches were performed on the platforms PubMed, SciELO, MEDLINE, LILACS, using the descriptors "Toxicity" AND "Local Anesthetics" AND "Dentistry" AND "Adverse Effects". The inclusion criteria were articles published between 2010 and 2021, in Portuguese and English, which were available in full for reading, presenting considerations on the relationship of the unregulated use of local anesthetics in systemic toxicity and its consequences, being studies of the case-control type, systematic review with or without meta-analysis, literature review and randomized clinical trials. Discussion: After analyzing the literature, we found that systemic toxicity caused by dental local anesthetics tends to be a not so common complication, but it is dangerously fatal mainly because dental surgeons are not prepared to intervene in cases of toxicity, so the idea behind The purpose of publishing subjects like this is to prepare and alert dentists to the early treatment and prevention of cases in the dental office. Conclusion: We conclude that the professional must know the basic anatomy, choose the local anesthetic correctly, and carry out a very detailed anamnesis to avoid accidents.