Novel Transdermal Delivery System for Local Anaesthesia: Focus on Mepivacaine Hydrochloride

Recent strides in non-invasive drug delivery have spurred innovation in alternatives to traditional needle injections. Transdermal medication administration systems have surfaced as a notably auspicious methodology, exhibiting reduced incidences of rejection, straightforward application, and heightened patient compliance. The reviewed literature explores the use of transdermal patches and the anaesthetic drug mepivacaine as innovative means for controlled drug administration. Transdermal delivery functions by using body heat to activate the release of medication from the patch—either through dissolving fine drug layers within the adhesive or allowing diffusion from a reservoir through a semi-permeable membrane. Various analytical techniques are employed to assess the quality and performance of these patches, and quantifying film thickness, endurance of folding, and uniformity of drug content as well as release in vitro. In dental applications, these systems aim to address pain management while reducing anxiety associated with traditional injection-based anaesthesia. Mepivacaine, introduced in dental practice in the 1960s, remains a widely preferred local anaesthetic due to its balanced efficacy and safety. It is used both as a standalone option and as an alternative to lidocaine or articaine. Clinical results suggest that a 2-per cent mepivacaine solution with 1:20,000 levonordefrin films provides the same level of success (P = 0.69) and a similar degree of pain during the injection procedure, which proves its consistency in the handling of dental pain.