A STUDY OF NOVOCAIN (PROCAINE) SENSITIVITY AMONG NAVY DENTAL OFFICERS

¹ Naval Medical Research Institute, Bethesda, Md.

1. A questionnaire was developed for the purpose of attempting to evaluate the prevalence and seriousness of Novocain-sensitivity symptoms among Navy dental officers.

2. A total of 7,517 questionnaires were mailed to Regular and Reserve dental officers with an over-all response of 52 per cent. This response varied from 44 per cent for United States Naval Reserve inactive personnel, to 91 per cent for United States Naval Reserve (active), to 95 per cent for those classified as United States Navy.

3. Of the 3,951 replies received, 128, or 3 per cent, were grouped as sensitive. This 3 per cent was constant for all three military groups.

4. The sensitive individuals (as expected) were older than the members in the nonsensitive group. It is believed that this may be attributed to definition rather than a true relationship between age and the susceptibility to Novocain sensitivity.

5. Only 66 dental officers or 56 per cent of the sensitive group experienced any symptoms during the fourteen-month period prior to receiving the questionnaire. This included 44 who stated that they were currently sensitive although they did not state the specific year of their last attack.

6. Eighty-five of the sensitive group stated that the reaction took the form of a dermatitis while only 10 mentioned that they had urticaria. There were 7 who recorded some other type of symptom.

7. Only four individuals stated that they were kept from performing all operating procedures by the attacks although 49 mentioned that they experienced symptoms regularly upon exposure.

8. Fifty-two, or 43 per cent, of the 120 individuals for whom information was available had (or have) symptoms that lasted less than one week while 13 had attacks that lasted continously while being exposed to Novocain.

9. The men having regular attacks upon exposure to Novocain tend to have a longer duration than those subjected to only occasional attacks.

10. Of the individuals stating that they were either currently sensitive or had experienced Novocain-sensitivity symptoms in the previous fourteen-month period, 30 said their attack occurred regularly. Only 4 of the 30 mentioned that their symptoms lasted longer than one month and 5 recorded the fact that the symptoms continued as long as they were exposed.

11. Only 10 of the 4,000-odd dental officers returning the questionnaire indicated a disabling sensitivity reaction within the fourteen-month period.

12. There was a significant difference in the men experiencing symptoms regularly between those using self-prepared solution and those using commercially prepared cartridges.

13. The only entirely effective counter-measure that was tried was the step taken by 18 men who discontinued using Novocain.