Anesthesia & Pain Management Insider: Vibrations and cold may ease kids' injection pain

Dear Anesthesia & Pain Management Insider,

For many children, seeing a long, silver needle headed for their mouth is one of the most fear-inducing parts of dentistry. But a bee-shaped distraction device may help ease this pain and anxiety, according to the findings of a new study. Read more on how this device uses vibration and cold to mask injection pain in our Insider Exclusive.

Also in the Anesthesia & Pain Management Community, we've covered several important stories on the use of opioids in dentistry. Notably, a major study in JAMA Internal Medicine found opioid prescriptions after third-molar surgery may put young people at risk for later abuse and addiction. Learn why this 30,000-patient study is making headlines.

Did you know that epinephrine might be safe in heart failure patients? A new study from the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions found no difference in blood pressure, heart rate, or arrhythmia between these patients when they received lidocaine with or without epinephrine. Read more about the findings, including why this is the first study of its type.

Distinguishing between types or orofacial pain can be challenging, even for the most experienced dentists. A questionnaire originally developed for people with lower back pain may help solve this problem. Researchers found that higher scores on the painDETECT screening questionnaire were able to help rule out pain that is musculoskeletal or dental in nature -- but it's not ready for the dental clinic just yet.

Finally, as the year wraps up, thank you for being a DrBicuspid.com Anesthesia & Pain Management Insider. I wish you a happy, healthy, and prosperous 2019.