A growing body of literature describes the performance of dental fear questionnaires in various countries. We describe the psychometric properties of Greek versions of the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS) and the Dental Fear Survey (DFS) in adult Greek patients.

Foreign bodies' entrapments in the mandibular and submandibular regions are quite common.

The purpose of this study was the examination of the role of temperature in the action of lidocaine via electrophysiological recordings on the sciatic nerve of the rat in vitro and in vivo. 20 Male Wistar rats were used in each type of experiment. In vitro, lidocaine shows no statistically significant difference regarding the onset of anesthesia but at the temperature of 25°C it is significantly more potent on the establishment of anesthesia compared to the temperature of 36.5oC. In vivo, lidocaine at the temperature of 4oC is statistically significantly more effective in the establishment and the duration of anesthesia related to the temperature of 20°C.

The role of temperature in the action of local anesthetics was studied in 20 healthy young volunteers with plain 3% mepivacaine injected periapically twice in their maxillary first premolar, the first time with the solution at a temperature of 20 degrees C and the second time at 4 degrees C. The pulpal response was measured with a pulp tester every minute. The onset of pulp anesthesia was found to be of no statistical difference between 20 degrees C and 4 degrees C. On the other hand, mepivacaine at a temperature of 4 degrees C was found to have a statistically significant longer duration of action. Our conclusion is that the drop in temperature of mepivacaine from 20 degrees C to 4 degrees C provides a longer duration of pulpal anesthesia.

The widespread use of pharmaceutical agents highlights the importance of identifying potential pharmacological interactions with epinephrine, the most frequently used vasoconstrictor in dental practice. Dentists must be aware of possible risks in order to adjust anesthetic protocols, when necessary. The principal aim is to prevent complications and ensure patient safety. This review analyzes clinical data from the international literature on pharmacological interactions involving low-dose epinephrine, corresponding to the doses typically used in dental procedures. These interactions are subsequently classified according to their severity and documentation level, based on the criteria of the UpToDate Lexidrug platform. In addition, management strategies are proposed to guide dental practitioners in clinical decision-making. A literature search was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases, using specific keywords. In total, 24 studies met the inclusion criteria, with the earliest published in 1968 and the most recent in 2022. Nine pharmacological categories were identified and presented in tables. The dosage of epinephrine plays a key role in the likelihood of pharmacological interactions, which appear to be less frequent at low concentrations typically used in dentistry. However, patient-specific factors, such as overall health status, should also be carefully considered during clinical assessment.

Objectives: Maxillary nerve block via the greater palatine canal (GPC) offers the potential for profound regional anesthesia of the maxilla but remains underutilized due to anatomical variability and technical complexity. The aim of this study was to explore the clinical feasibility, accuracy, and anesthetic effectiveness of a computer-guided approach by using CBCT-based surgical guides to access the pterygopalatine fossa via the GPC. Methods: Thirty-one patients underwent the procedure with patient-specific guides designed from cone-beam computerized tomography (CBCT) and intraoral scans. A 27G needle was directed through the guide to deliver 1.8 mL of 2% lidocaine with epinephrine 1:80.000. Pulpal anesthesia was assessed via electric pulp testing (EPT), and soft tissue anesthesia via pressure algometry at predefined oral and facial sites. Success was defined as absence of EPT response at maximum output and pressure pain threshold ≥ 700 g. To assess variations in anesthetic efficacy among multiple related groups, Cochran’s Q test and McNemar’s test were employed. Results: Successful needle placement was achieved in 30 out of 31 patients (96.7%) using the computer-guided approach, with a mean of 1.45 insertion attempts per case. Complete palatal soft tissue anesthesia was achieved in all subjects across the tested sites (100%). Pulpal anesthesia was most effective in posterior teeth, with success rates of 96.7% for first molars and 93.3% for first premolars, while the central incisor showed a reduced success rate of 50%. Transient visual disturbances occurred in three patients (10%), with no other adverse effects reported. Conclusions: These findings support the use of computer-guided GPC block as a method for achieving maxillary nerve anesthesia. Although anesthetic spread to anterior and buccal regions was limited, the technique demonstrated consistent effectiveness in the posterior maxilla, highlighting its potential utility in complex dental and surgical interventions requiring deep and long-lasting regional anesthesia.