Anesthetics: Children's Teeth Development Affected By Anesthesia

New findings published in the journal Cell Death Discovery suggest, for the first time, that the use of local anesthetics may affect tooth cell growth as well as the development of children's teeth.

In this recent study, researchers used both pig teeth and young human permanent tooth pulp cells to show how local anaesthetics that are commonly used in clinics in China, Switzerland and the UK can alter the proliferation of tooth cells.

Researchers discovered how longer duration of exposure to higher concentrations of local anesthetics could be particularly harmful with the function of mitochondria in the tooth cell, or what researchers referred to as the ‘batteries' of the cell.

Though further clinical studies are necessary to study the significance of the issue, they noted that there is not yet enough data to change clinical guidelines.

"Our study has shown for the first time the evidence that local anaesthetic may affect the development of children's teeth in cellular and molecular levels," noted Dr. Bing Hu at Plymouth University Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry, in a news release. "We accept that we need to carry out further clinical studies and we do not wish for our findings to alarm parents unnecessarily, but we do expect, in time, to improve clinical guidelines through our research to minimise the dosage of local anaesthetic drugs."

He added: "Our findings emphasise the need for parents to help their children to avoid the need for dental surgery, such as tooth extractions, in the first place by paying attention to diet and good oral hygiene, and regular visits to the dentist."

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