Oculomotor palsy following dental anesthesia
S. W. Hyams
Paralysis of the right third and fourth cranial nerves, lasting for about
six weeks, occurred in a patient following the injection of procaine
hydrochloride in the area of the right superior alveolar artery. Ocular
complications of dental anesthesia are rare and are probably caused by
intra-arterial injection of anesthetic that reaches the orbit via an
anastomosis between the middle meningeal and ophthalmic arteries. Such
complications include transient oculomotor palsies and permanent or
transient loss of vision.
