Question:

I have children with G6PD deficiency. Every time when injection of a local anesthetics is required for a dental treatment, the dentists usually do not want to apply any local anesthesia to them or any treatment, they need a consultation regarding the medicine . But the case can be urgent. In the list of avoided drugs, actually we don`t have the commonly used ones, forexample “lidocain”. One recommended to use “mercain” in a consultation.But mostly he recommended to have general anesthesia even for short treatments. Sometimes, they operate without any medicine causing a child resisting the pain. Few times, “mercain”is used. What kind of anestesia medicine is safe for the persons having G6PD deficiency? Thank you for your helps.

Answer:

You are correct that lidocaine, including lidocaine with epinephrine, is safe for patients with G6PD deficiency. In fact, most dental drugs are fine, such as the antibiotics penicillin and clindamycin as well as commonly used pain medications such as ibuprofen, acetaminophen and hydrocodone compounds. All of the local anesthetics used in dentistry are fine. There is no reason your children cannot have routine dental treatment in a dental office.

General anesthesia can be provided as well, and I do this routinely. However, there is no need to encounter the risk of general anesthesia, low as it truly is for otherwise healthy children with G6PDD, if your children are cooperative at the dentist and don’t require huge amounts of dental work or oral surgery. Good luck.

For more information:

Go to the Dental Anesthesia health topic.