Journal of Community Pharmacy Practice
ISSN: 2799-1199
Vol : 01 , No.01 , Aug-Sept 2021
http://journal.hmjournals.com/index.php/JCPP
Author(s) 2021.This is an Open Access Article distributed under the CC Copyright © The
) http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ BY license. (
1
Pediatric intoxication inducing after dental pain
management OTC Benzocaine product.
DR. MUHI.N.SALMAN
1
, M.SC TOXICOLOGY
2
1,2
Baghdad college of medical sciences, baghdad. Iraq
Abstract;
Background; Methemoglobinemia is a rare disorder of the blood in which there is an
increase in the proportion of hemoglobin present in the oxidized form (methemoglobin). It
may be inherited, due either to a deficiency of methemoglobin reductase or to a structural
abnormality of hemoglobin, or it may be acquired, usually secondary to exposure to drugs
or chemicals that oxidize hemoglobin l. Administration of some local anesthetics such as
benzocaine at large doses may lead to an acute effect of risk Methemoglobinemia..
Presentation ; A 6-years-old child was suffering from dyspnea, headache, and
grayish in appearance. The patient was self-treating with an over-the-counter topical oral
benzocaine.
Treatment; The diagnosis of methemoglobinemia was made in conjunction with
consultation with a medical toxicologist and treatment with oxygen and methylene blue as
antidote was given 1mg/kg of 1% solution intravenously over 7minutes. The symptoms
improved within 30 minutes and child felt markedly better within 1.5 hour.
Conclusion; Methylene blue is the specific antidote, but should be reserved for more severe
cases.
1. INTRODUCTION
FDA issued a safety communication1 warning health professionals and consumers that OTC
benzocaine products should not be used in infants and children younger than 2 years and
should only be used in adults and children older than 2 years. FDA also urged manufacturers
to add warnings to their products’ labels about benzocaine’s potential to cause
methemoglobinemia,a serious condition that changes the transport of oxygen to body
tissues.(1).These products carry serious risks and provide little to no benefits for treating oral
pain, due to the significant safety risk of methemoglobinemia blue lips and nail beds.
Acquired methemoglobinemia is typically caused by oxidativestress and many prescribed
medications are strongly associated with inducing methemoglobinemia e.g., Lidocaine ,
Metoclopramide, Prilocaine, Amyl nitrite, Nitroglycerin, Nitroprusside, sulfamethoxazole [2,
3]. A very common presentation of this cyanotic illness is after a medical procedure, such as
endoscopy or bronchoscopy,during which a liberal amount of local anesthetic, such as
benzocaine spray or gel is used [2,4,5]. The reported maximum dose before inducing
methemoglobinemia would be 15mgper kilogram for a 50 kg person [6].