An unusual pattern of self-inflicted injury after dental local anesthesia: A report of 2 cases

Abstract

The local anesthetics used in dentistry are considered very safe and have a low incidence of adverse reactions associated with their administration. A frequent finding by clinicians engaged in treatment of children is, following a dental appointment requiring local anesthesia to treat dental disease, a child may bite his or her lip out of curiosity associated with the unfamiliar sensation of being numb or inadvertently because no pain is felt. We describe two unusual case reports of postanesthetic self-inflicted injuries in this article. The first being the ulceration due to lip biting and the scratch injury on the chin after inferior alveolar nerve block. The second report presents an unusual scratch injury on the ala of nose following maxillary infiltration anesthesia. The common treatment modalities and the possible methods of prevention are discussed.