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New therapy makes the anesthetic syringe at the dentist superfluous
Many people become uneasy days before a visit to the dentist. The fear of the dentist's drill makes her hardly sleep. And the thought of an injection is not pleasant. But something could change here soon. Researchers have developed a new method that could replace the anesthetic injection in the future.
Fear of the dentist is common
The fear of dental treatment can have several reasons. Many patients are afraid of drilling. However, a lot has happened here in recent years. Newer techniques are much gentler than before. In the future, even a painless treatment without drilling could be possible, because scientists have been working for some time on a procedure that could cure tooth decay by remineralizing the tooth. Even before the anesthetic injection at the dentist many people are afraid. But in the future, thanks to a newly developed process, this could become superfluous.
Dentist treatment without syringe. Image: Production Perig - fotolia Stun without syringe
Researchers from Brazil have developed a new method that could replace the anesthetic injection at the dentist in the future. As the scientists report in the journal "Colloids and Surfaces B: BioInfaces", the anesthetic is brought into the gum before treatment with the help of weak current. Not only could this process deprive millions of people of their fear of the dentist, it also reduces the risk of infection and is cheaper than the conventional syringe.
Anesthetic on the gums
The starting point of the development was the local anesthetic that dentists often apply to the gums before spraying. In most cases it is a gel containing local anesthetics such as lidocaine or prilocaine. The effect is limited only to the surface of the gums. But the researchers led by Camila Cubayachi from the University of São Paulo tested how they can bring the drug through the membrane and into the mucous membranes with a non-invasive technique and achieved thereby promising results.
Light-flow method
The scientists tried electricity. In experiments with pig pines, they found that this so-called iontophoresis makes the membrane barrier permeable and brings the superficially applied agent deep inside the gum. Iontophoresis has so far been used mainly in dermatology. The patient only feels a slight tingling sensation on the skin. The researchers found in the experiment with pigs that this method stunned as well as an injection. They want to do more testing before the first clinical trials with human patients can follow. In addition, the scientists reported that iontophoresis could be used in more than just dental care. With the gentle stream, active substances could be brought through the outer barriers even in eye and skin diseases. (Ad)