Journal of Dental Research, Vol 60, 1742-1748, Copyright © 1981 by International & American Associations for Dental Research Online Journals
Pressures created by dental injections
E. L. Pashley, R. Nelson and D. H. Pashley
In routine dental practice, anesthetic solutions are injected into tissue
sites of widely different distensibilities, under a variety of pressures.
The purpose of the present study, during simulated dental practice, was to
determine the maximum injection pressures obtained by clinicians during
injections in dogs. Regular aspirating dental syringes were used together
with dental anesthetic cartridges filled with isotonic saline. Maximum
operator injection pressures ranged from 330 to 660 psi (17,061-34,122
mmHg). Those injection sites that were least distensible gave the highest
maximum injection pressures: interosseous (21,559 mmHg); incisive papilla
(18,224 mmHg); periodontal (17,630 mmHg); hard palate (11,322 mmHg); and
intrapulpal (8918 mmHg). More distensible tissue sites gave much lower
pressures. The data indicate that dental injection pressures vary widely
from several hundred mmHg to several hundred psi, depending on the
clinician's physical effort and the distensibility of the tissue.
