Summary:

Local anesthetic agents are used to anesthetize peripheral nerves during many surgical procedures, such as for example during dental surgery. However, profound anesthesia is not always achieved and patients may experience pain during surgical manipulation of the tissue innervated by the incompletely anesthetized nerve. For example, success rates of from only 21% to 67% have been reported when local anesthetic agents have been used to block the inferior alveolar nerve, i.e., the primary nerve of the lower jaw, and its terminal branches. If the area undergoing surgical manipulation is inflamed or if the patient presents with pain, the success rate for profound anesthesia using current techniques and anesthetic compositions is even less.

The present invention is directed to new anesthetic compositions that achieve enhanced anesthesia of the peripheral nerves located in the mouth region of a subject or patient. Such anesthetic compositions comprise water, a local anesthetic agent, and a sugar alcohol at a concentration of at least 0.1 moles/L, i.e., at least 0.1 M. The present invention is also related to a method of anesthetizing a peripheral nerve of the mouth region. The method comprises:

• Providing an anesthetic composition comprising water, a local anesthetic agent, and a sugar or, preferably, a sugar alcohol at a concentration of at least 0.1 M
• dministering said anesthetic composition to a site proximate to said peripheral nerve.

Potential Applications:

Medical and dental suppliers

Advantages:

Increased effectiveness of local anesthesia