IADR Abstract Archives
Cytotoxic Effects of Topical Anesthetics on Oral Cells
Objectives: Topical anesthetics have various uses in the field of dentistry. These anesthetics are most commonly used to anesthetize the first few millimeters of tissue before a local anesthetic is deposited via a syringe and needle. The use of topical anesthetic has proven to be effective, but its toxicity to the oral cavity needs to be analyzed. This set of experiments will explore the effects of three separate topical anesthetics on the survival of two cell lines.
Methods: Cetacaine® Spray (Benzocaine 14%, Butamben 2%, Tetracaine HCl 2%), Oraqix® (Lidocaine 2.5%, Prilocaine 2.5%), and Topex® Gel (Benzocaine 20%) were diluted in Minimal Essential Media (MEMα) containing 10% fetal bovine serum. Gingival and periodontal ligament fibroblasts were treated with the topical anesthetics for 1 and 24 hour exposure periods. Cell survival was assessed fluorometrically using calcien-AM.
Results: Cell survival for gingival fibroblast and PDL cells when exposed to various topical anesthetics followed similar trends. However, PDL cells were more sensitive to the cytotoxic effects than were gingival fibroblasts. Cetacaine® Spray proved to be the most cytotoxic with an abrupt decline in cell survival at 0.1% following a 1 hour exposure. Oraqix® and followed significantly less cytotoxic, with little loss of cell survival with concentrations below 1.0%. Topex® was essentially non-cytotoxic at concentrations up to 5%.
Conclusions: Each topical anesthetic tested were cytotoxic to oral cells in a concentration and exposure time dependent manor. Cetacain® Spray containing Butamben 2%, Tetracaine HCl 2% being the most cytotoxic. In its general use, topical anesthetics are not typically removed from gingival tissues. Therefore, prolonged exposure to these compounds may lead to injuries to the oral mucosa.
Methods: Cetacaine® Spray (Benzocaine 14%, Butamben 2%, Tetracaine HCl 2%), Oraqix® (Lidocaine 2.5%, Prilocaine 2.5%), and Topex® Gel (Benzocaine 20%) were diluted in Minimal Essential Media (MEMα) containing 10% fetal bovine serum. Gingival and periodontal ligament fibroblasts were treated with the topical anesthetics for 1 and 24 hour exposure periods. Cell survival was assessed fluorometrically using calcien-AM.
Results: Cell survival for gingival fibroblast and PDL cells when exposed to various topical anesthetics followed similar trends. However, PDL cells were more sensitive to the cytotoxic effects than were gingival fibroblasts. Cetacaine® Spray proved to be the most cytotoxic with an abrupt decline in cell survival at 0.1% following a 1 hour exposure. Oraqix® and followed significantly less cytotoxic, with little loss of cell survival with concentrations below 1.0%. Topex® was essentially non-cytotoxic at concentrations up to 5%.
Conclusions: Each topical anesthetic tested were cytotoxic to oral cells in a concentration and exposure time dependent manor. Cetacain® Spray containing Butamben 2%, Tetracaine HCl 2% being the most cytotoxic. In its general use, topical anesthetics are not typically removed from gingival tissues. Therefore, prolonged exposure to these compounds may lead to injuries to the oral mucosa.