Infraorbital Swelling Induced by an Inadvertent Local Anesthesia Technique in a Six-Year-Old Female Child: A Clinical Case Report

Local anesthesia (LA) plays a crucial role in managing pain during dental procedures, but its administration must be handled with care, particularly in children, where complications are not uncommon. This report presents a case involving a six-year-old girl who had a broken upper right first molar due to decay for the past three months. An extraction was planned under LA. Following the infiltration technique of LA administration using 2% lignocaine solution with 1:80,000 adrenaline, swelling appeared in the right infraorbital region almost immediately. The swelling resulted from inadvertent deposition of the anesthetic in the infraorbital area due to excessive needle penetration, which occurred as the child became uncooperative during the injection. The patient was prescribed analgesic eye drops and a topical ophthalmic ointment by the ophthalmologist, and the symptoms started subsiding within four hours. This report also explores prevention and management strategies for such complications in pediatric dental care.