@article{ref1,
title="Pain control in recovering alcoholics: effects of local anesthesia",
journal="Journal of studies on alcohol",
year="1997",
author="Fiset, L. and Leroux, B. and Rothen, M. and Prall, C. and Zhu, C. and Ramsay, D. S.",
volume="58",
number="3",
pages="291-296",
abstract="OBJECTIVE: The medical literature suggests that alcoholics may present greater challenges to achieving clinical pain control than nonalcoholics. This study was undertaken to test the hypotheses that: (1) significant differences exist between alcoholics and nonalcoholics on detection and pain thresholds during electric tooth stimulation; (2) group differences exist in the depth and time course of pulpal anesthesia; and (3) responses to tooth stimulation are associated with severity of alcoholism and/or other psychological factors. METHOD: Male alcoholics (n = 22) in aftercare treatment (mean length of sobriety = 113 days) and age-matched nonalcoholics (n = 22) received 1.0 ml of 3% mepivicaine at the apex of a maxillary lateral incisor and saline placebo at the apex of the contralateral incisor. RESULTS: At baseline no group differences were found on sensory thresholds. During drug intervention significant drug and time effects for both detection threshold (p < .0001) and pain threshold (p < .0001) were found, but group differences and interactive effects were not significant. By exploratory regression analysis of alcoholic subjects, history of depression/unhappiness was significantly associated with shallower pulpal anesthesia, whereas high need for control/low actual control and frequency of treatment for detoxification were associated with deeper anesthesia. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest alcoholics in recovery are not at increased risk for inadequate pain control with local anesthesia.<p /><p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0096-882X",
doi="",
url="http://dx.doi.org/"
}