Lidocaine use for pain management during paediatric dental rehabilitation under general anaesthesia.

INTRODUCTION: Dental rehabilitation under general anaesthesia is gaining more popularity among parents as a result of increasing safety margins of new anaesthetic drugs and the adoption of strict policies and procedures that target patient safety and comfort. Harmony between members of the anaesthesia team and the dental team is a must to produce full dental service with least discomfort to our child patients.

AIM: To investigate the possible effect of using local analgesia (lidocaine) during general anaesthesia sessions on stabilising heart rate, respiratory rate and tidal CO2 levels during painful dental procedures.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eighty ASA class I children undergoing full dental rehabilitation under general anaesthesia were divided into two groups of 40 each. Group A had the dental procedures carried out without lidocaine local analgesia, and group B had the procedures done with lidocaine local analgesia prior to painful dental procedures. Patient monitor readings were recorded by a group-allocation blinded anaesthesia technician and the two groups were compared statistically.

RESULTS: Group A showed a statistically significant increase in heart rates and respiratory rates during dentine cutting, dental extractions and pulpotomies. No significant difference was observed between the two groups for changes in CO2 end-tidal volume during cavity preparations. During dental extractions and pulpotomies, Group A showed significantly lower carbon dioxide end-tidal volume.

CONCLUSIONS: Use of local analgesia prior to performing pain-provoking dental procedures under general anaesthesia seems to help patient's homeostasis and stabilises vital signs. This may help in providing a safer anaesthesia environment for medically compromised children undergoing the same procedures under general anaesthesia.