Local Anesthesia in Dental Hygiene

Jaira Favazza

Dental Hygiene

RDH1310: Pharmacology

Ms. McKinney, RDH

November 21, 2022

 With the continual effort to ease the pain and comfort of a patient, the use of local

anesthesia has made its case for the leader in periodontal treatment. Since the introduction of the

idea for dental hygienists to administer local anesthesia, there have been mixed opinions from

both patients and dental care professionals about this change. In this essay, three different articles

revolving this topic will be reviewed and discussed to properly attain a better understanding of

this adjustment.

A study was conducted to determine the specifics of dental hygienists administering local

anesthesia. This study was conducted in a questionnaire format to dental professionals in varying

regions of the world. In most countries dental hygienists are permitted to administer local

anesthesia via infiltration and block anesthesia with infiltration winning the majority of the cases.

Though the questionnaire was answered through the scope of the local laws of the country,

numerous studies have proved that certain procedures, like caries treatment, are often delegated

to the dental hygienist.

Assessing the aforementioned article, it is concluded that dental hygienists are generally

legally capable of administering local anesthesia. It is also not unusual for dental hygienists to

perform treatment outside of their legal scope. Though this is an advancement of the dental

hygiene trade, in regard to duties, local anesthesia administration is not accepted across the

globe, or even across the United States.

With Washington becoming the first to allow dental hygienists to administer local

anesthesia, forty-eight years later, and forty-four other states have followed suit. But due to this

recent shift in dental responsibility, a study was conducted to understand how patients have

reacted to this change. To ensure consumer satisfaction, online focus groups were performed to

gain qualitative information. Due to both rapport and time management, the majority of the
participants suggested they felt better knowing the dental hygienist was administering the local

anesthesia rather than the dentist.

With the previous article in mind, it is understandable to assume that patients prefer their

dental hygienist to administer local anesthesia instead of the dentist. Since this opinion is coming

from the consumer, it should be regarded as important for maintaining positive patient

experiences. This article does not, however, provide professional opinion on if this practice is

beneficial for the patients’ care. It is not a reach that since patients are not, generally,

professionals in this specific trade, their opinions cannot be considered for medical correctness.

Local anesthesia plays a vital role in the prevention of pain during dental treatment for

the comfort of the patient and dental professionals. This drug provides the dental professional

with an easier route of completing dental treatment and preventing discomfort to the patient.

Though this wonder drug can provide much in the way of comfort, it can also provide adverse

reactions in the aid of allergic and psychogenic reactions, facial nerve palsy, a hematoma, etc.

Adverse reactions are not limited to adults and can be found in pediatric patients in the common

form of inadequate dosage. These adverse reactions prove that a proper medical history and

knowledge of the patient are vital for successful local anesthesia administration.

Considering the article mentioned previously, the use of local anesthesia in a dental

environment can provide extreme beneficial results for all parties involved. Local anesthesia is

not a “one size fits all” and medical history and patient knowledge must be considered prior to

injection. Without competent groundwork, adverse reactions can occur and lead to unsatisfactory

results or harm to the recipient.

 All three articles involve themselves in the field of local anesthesia. The first two articles

discussed give a view of how allowing dental hygienists affect both dental professionals and

patients. The third article provides an in-depth view of local anesthesia in a general purpose. The

article, “Anesthesia and Caries Treatment by Dental Hygienists: A Worldwide Review” delivers

facts and percentages of countries who grant dental hygienists the ability to perform local

anesthesia injection or topical application. The article, “Patients’ Perspective Regarding the

Administration of Local Anesthesia by Dental Hygienists” provides a consumer opinion of this

relatively new change in the dental world. The three articles together can provide a useful insight

to the unknowledgeable.
 References

Bozia, M, et al. (2022, October). Anaesthesia and Caries Treatment by Dental Hygienists: A

Worldwide Review.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0020653922002209

Smith, A, et al. (2019, June). Patients’ Perspective Regarding the Administration of Local

Anesthesia by Dental Hygienists. https://jdh.adha.org/content/jdenthyg/93/5/40.full.pdf

Singh, P. (2012, April). An emphasis on the wide usage and important role of local anesthesia in

dentistry: A strategic review. NIH.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3353686/