Lidocaine Allergy: A Case Report on an uncommon complication with a commonly used local anesthetic

Profound local anesthesia (LA) is a prerequisite for the satisfactory treatment of a patient in a dental clinic. The most commonly used local anesthetics in dentistry is Lidocaine. Allergy to Lidocaine is a rare incidence and can vary in presentation. This article describes a case of a female patient seeking endodontic treatment, who reported angioedema soon after a local anesthetic injection containing Lidocaine. The presumptive diagnosis was a hypersensitivity reaction to Lidocaine, which was confirmed by a skin-prick and intra-dermal test. The patient was managed by a dosage of oral corticosteroids and antihistaminics, before ensuing further treatment This article emphasizes the significance of allergy testing prior to LA use, taking into account the significant consequences of allergy to these agents.

  • Kurchi Mandal Assistant Professor Department of Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics Dr.R.Ahmed Dental College and Hospital, Kolkata,West Bengal
  • Parthasarathi Mondal Associate Professor Department of Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics Dr.R.Ahmed Dental College and Hospital, Kolkata, West Bengal
  • Aritra Chatterjee Assistant Professor Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Dr.R.Ahmed Dental College and Hospital,Kolkata,West Bengal
  • Snigdho Das Ramakrishna Sarada Mission Matri Bhavan and Hospital
Keywords: allergy, case report, corticosteroids, hypersensitivity, Lidocaine, local anesthetics

Abstract

Profound local anesthesia (LA) is a prerequisite for the satisfactory treatment of a patient in a dental clinic. The most commonly used local anesthetics in dentistry is Lidocaine. Allergy to Lidocaine is a rare incidence and can vary in presentation. This article describes a case of a female patient seeking endodontic treatment, who reported angioedema soon after a local anesthetic injection containing Lidocaine. The presumptive diagnosis was a hypersensitivity reaction to Lidocaine, which was confirmed by a skin-prick and intra-dermal test. The patient was managed by a dosage of oral corticosteroids and antihistaminics, before ensuing further treatment This article emphasizes the significance of allergy testing prior to LA use, taking into account the significant consequences of allergy to these agents.

 

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Published
2025-10-05
How to Cite
Mandal, K., Mondal , P., Chatterjee , A., & Das, S. (2025). Lidocaine Allergy: A Case Report on an uncommon complication with a commonly used local anesthetic. UNIVERSITY JOURNAL OF DENTAL SCIENCES, 11(3), 67-69. https://doi.org/10.21276/ujds.2025.v11.i3.14