Introduction to Local Anesthesia/ Neurophysiology Flashcards
Words associated with dentistry:
- pain
- fear
- anxiety
Going to the dentist is the most fear of ___ % of adults
21%
In the US, approximately __% of the population avoid dental care due to fear
10%
The 10% of individuals that avoid the dentist due to fear comprise about ____ potential patients
30 million
The top 10 fear-evoking dental situations include:
- dentist is pulling your tooth
- dentist is drilling your tooth
- dentist tells you your teeth are bad
- dentist holds the needle in front of you
- dentist is gibing you a shot
- dentist places probe in a cavity
- dentist laughs as he looks at your mouth
- dentist squirts air into a cavity
- sitting in the waiting room
- dentist laying out instruments
What are the 10 desirable properties for local anesthesia:
- no irritation to tissue
- no permanent alteration
- low systemic toxicity
- effective if injected into tissue or mucous membranes
- short onset
- long enough duration of action for the procedure
- potent yet not harmfully concentrated
- no elicit allergic reaction
- readily undergo biotransformation
- sterile or capable of being sterilized by heat without deterioration
List the spectrum of pain and anxiety control in dentistry:
- local anesthesia
- oral sedation
- I.M. sedation
- nitrous oxide sedation
- I.V. sedation
- general anesthesia
What is the function/purpose of local anesthesia?
prevent generation and/ or conduction of a nerve impulse
Describe the pain pathway (1-4):
- pain receptors
- sensory nerve fiber
- nerve pathways
- response modulators
What are the response in the pain pathway?
thalamus, limbic system, and cortex
The least experience of pain which a subject can recognize:
pain threshold
The greatest level of pain which a subject is prepared to tolerate:
pain tolerance
Pain tolerance is lowest at around what times?
4pm and midnight
Pain tolerance is highest around what times?
early morning
When does pain threshold change throughout the day?
it remains constant