OraVerse Local Anesthesia Reversal Agent
Septodont
OraVerse reverses soft tissue anesthesia, reducing the duration of numbness and accelerating the return to normal function.
Phentolamine mesylate (PM) safely and effectively reduces the duration of local anesthetic- induced soft-tissue numbness and its associated functional deficits.1 Septodont’s OraVerse, an in jectable formulation of PM, is the first and only local dental anesthesia reversal agent that accelerates the return to normal sensation and function after procedures involving intraoral submucosal injection of a vasoconstrictor-containing local anesthetic.
Reduced Numbness
PM has been shown to reduce post-anesthesia upper lip median recovery times from 133 minutes to 50 minutes in adults and adolescents.1 By de - creasing the duration of residual soft-tissue anesthesia by approximately 50%, patients feel normal more quickly and the risk of soft-tissue injury may be reduced.2,3
When the 12 dentists who participated in this Dental Product Shopper evaluation were asked about reduced lip numbness, 1 rated it as excellent, 7 rated it as very good, and 4 rated it as good. Reduced tongue numbness was rated as excellent by 1 evaluator, as very good by 6, and as good by 5. Citing “quicker working time” as a feature he’d like to see improved, 1 dentist said “reversal takes about an hour.” One evaluator noted that “pa tients like being able to lose the numbness quickly… to go out to lunch after an appointment,” and another evaluator said his patients “didn’t mind the ‘additional’ injections and said their feeling returned faster than expected!”
Ease of Use
Ease of use of OraVerse was rated as excellent by 8 evaluators and as very good to good by 4. An evaluator who said he would definitely recommend and purchase OraVerse cited “some learning curve in knowing when to inject it for maximum benefit.” Another dentist said that “while well marked, perhaps the cartridges should have a brighter marking to avoid confusion with local anesthetic cartridges.” A West Deptford, NJ evaluator called OraVerse “simple for all to understand” and a dentist in practice in Trussville, AL commented that “ease of delivery is great and effectiveness is beyond question.”
Patient Reaction
In a manufacturer-conducted survey, 86% of 370 patients reported that OraVerse improved their dental experience and 82% said they would recommend it to family and friends.4 When the Dental Product Shopper evaluators were asked about patient reaction, 2 rated it as excellent, 6 rated it as very good, and 4 rated it as good. One evaluator said “patients were very happy,” and another said many of his patients “were surprised that a product like this existed and were enthusiastic about trying it.” The Red Bank, NJ pediatric dentist who asked his patients to text him when the numbness was gone said the messages “were very positive and made them think about the product and mention it to others.”
The manufacturer states that OraVerse is indicated only for adults and for children age 6 years and older and weighing at least 33 pounds. One evaluator, who said he would definitely recommend and purchase it, cited “indication for children under age 6… the ones most likely to bite themselves after a local” as a feature he’d like to see improved.
A Havre de Grace, MD evaluator who said it has “limited use in my practice” explained that “most patients want to be numb longer after lengthy treatment.” A Denver, CO dentist exclaimed, “My patients loved it!” This same dentist gave all features a rating of excellent. “I see many business executives who need to coordinate their visits with hectic schedules, and have very good feedback from patients saying they were pleased to be able to return to their work duties promptly.”
Overall Satisfaction
While 8 dentists cited cost as a concern, 11 said they would definitely or probably recommend OraVerse to colleagues, with comments such as “if the price were lower it would be a great adjunct to dental procedures.” Overall satisfaction was rated as excellent by 2 evaluators, as very good by 6, as good by 3, and as fair by 1. One evaluator said, “It’s nice to have another tool to increase patient satisfaction.”
References
1. Hersh EV, Moore PA, Papas AS, et al. Soft Tissue Anesthesia Recovery Group. Reversal of soft-tissue local anesthesia with phentolamine mesylate in adolescents and adults. J Am Dent Assoc. 2008;139:1080-1093.
2. Malamed SF. Local anesthesia reversal. Dent Today. 2010;29:65-66, 68, 71-72.
3. Malamed S. What’s new in local anesthesia? SAAD Dig. 2009;25:4-14.
4. Saunders TR, Psaltis G, Weston JF, et al. A survey of OraVerse in-practice dental use for soft tissue anesthesia reversal. Proc. AADR 2010; #0718 (data updated).
