Allergy to Dental Materials & Drugs Flashcards
What are the 4 routes of entry for an allergen?
Percutaneous/mucosa- plants/pet scratch
Injection- bee stings
Inhalational- hay fever (pollen), asthma (dust)
Ingestion- food (nuts), medicines
What is an allergy?
An immunologically based sensitivity:
Specific immune response to the allergen
Not dose dependent
Reaction will change on subsequent exposure
What is toxicity?
A non-immunologically based reaction:
Non-specific, not immune
Dose dependent
May be accumulative
Reaction will be similar on subsequent exposure
What is hypersensitivity?
A state of altered reactivity in which the body reacts with an exaggerated immune response to a foreign substance
Hypersensitivity reactions are classified as immediate or delayed types I and IV, respectively, in the Gell and Coombs classification of immune responses
What are the 4 types of hypersensitivity?
Type 1– immediate IgE mediated: anaphylaxis
Type 2– auto antibody mediated
Type 3– immune complexes
Type 4– T cell mediated: delayed hypersensitivity
Describe a type I hypersensitivity reaction:
-Mediated by IgE bound to high affinity Fc receptors on mast cells.
-Cross linking of IgE/Fc receptor complex by antigen = degranulation + release of histamine, serotonin, proteases, cytokines etc
-This activates and attracts eosinophils, neutrophils and macrophages
-Leukotrienes + histamines = vascular permeability/smooth muscle contraction.
extreme reaction - anaphylactic shock
Describe a type II hypersensitivity reaction:
-Auto-antibodies bind to antigens coating a target cell, mediated by IgG once bound to antigen it binds to Fcy receptors on macrophages, NK cell
-This combination insights a chemical cascade which invokes the complement cascade.
-Causes cytotoxic reaction (degranulation or phagocytosis) which leads to cell damage
Describe a type III hypersensitivity reaction:
-Souble antigens (from infection/persistent exposure to antigens) bind to antibodies (IgG/IgM) in excess or in the wrong proportions = immune complexes
-Immune complexes circulate in blood and can be deposited in various tissues.
-These can then activate complement cascade = production of chemotactic factors and recruitment of inflammatory cells.
Describe a type IV hypersensitivity reaction:
-Mediated by T cells
-Activated T cells secrete chemokines, cytokines to recruit and activate macrophages
-Activated macrophages secrete further pro-inflammatory cytokines, tissue damage from degranulation.
-Formation of granuloma: including macrophages/multi-nucleated giant cells, eosinophils, T cells etc.
What types of materials in dentistry could possibly induce an allergic reaction?
Drugs: Local anaesthetics, cortico-steroids, antibiotics, analgesics (pain reliever)
Restorative materials: Amalgams, ionomers, composites, metals & porcelains
Clinical materials: Latex, impression materials
Tooth paste/mouth washes
Which drugs can cause reactions on your mucosa and what are their respective reactions?
Corticosteroids- candidosis
Methotrexate- ulceration
Gold- lichenoid reactions
Penicillamine (Wilsons disease and rheumatoid arthritis) - loss of taste
Antimalarials- lichenoid reactions
NSAIDs- lichenoid reactions (rarely) oral ulceration
What reactions can you get to toothpastes & mouthwashes?
toothpastes and mouthwashes:
-Gingival desquamation (loss of surface)
-Gingival swelling & granulomatous reactions
-Benign migratory glossitis
-Epithelial desquamation, inflammation
-Ulceration
What reactions can you get to creams, ointments & impression materials?
Creams, Ointments, Impression materials:
-Contact stomatitis - inflammation or pain of the oral mucosa due to both irritant and allergic substances
-Gingival desquamation, swelling & granulomatous reactions
-Mucosal Swelling
-Epithelial desquamation, inflammation
-Ulceration
Are there lots of allergic reactions to LA?
True allergy is rare and accounts for <1% of adverse reactions to LA
True allergy may be delayed as well as immediate type
Are there lots of adverse reactions to LA?
LA account for 5-10% of adverse reactions to anaesthetics drugs, so it’s not a lot, it’s mainly GA to which there are more adverse reactions.
What are adverse effects to LA associated with?
Blocking of ion channels in cell membranes (CVS and CNS toxicity).
What are the main reasons of referral after using LA?
Collapse after LA (immediate or 2 hours later) (25%)
Swelling of lips, eyes, cheeks, face (immediate and up to 2 hours later) (25%)
Rash on chest, limbs, or contact area (1-7 hours later) (15%)
Breathlessness, sweating, nausea, disorientation (10%)
Headaches, irregular pulse and low BP(8%)
Swelling of throat, difficulty in breathing (8%)
Behavioural changes (minutes to hours later) (5%)
Sleepiness, dizzy (5%)
Describe the experiment that was taken out to see reactions to scratch & intradermal challenge LAs
Scratch testing = skin prick test
Intradermal = 25 macro-metres of LA is introduced beneath the skin
Asthma, eczema and hay fever = atopic conditions
What were the conclusions from the experiment?
Scratch skin tests alone are not good discriminators of allergy,
intradermal tests are better discriminators.
- Prilocaine produced more positive skin reactions than any
other local anaesthetic agent tested. - In 95 of the 100 patients referred with suspected
anaphylactoid reactions to local anaesthetic agents, negative
skin reactions to at least one of the agents allowed intrabuccal
challenge and subsequent recommendation of an agent for
future use. - Skin testing, though not providing formal proof of allergy,
provides a useful test to indicate local anaesthetics which
may be used for future procedure