Contact dermatitis due to dental filling
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Hi, my friend is a 27-year-old woman who has a rash on her face. She visited the dentist earlier in the day and had a few cavities filled. Immediately following the appointment, she noted a stinging, swollen rash at the outer corner of her mouth. She researched the material used during a filling and noted that the etching solution used contains phosphoric acid, which could cause contact dermatitis if skin is exposed to it. What advice should I provide to her ? Can anyone help.
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@Parabat
Your friend should first wash the exposed area with a generous amount of lukewarm water to remove the irritant and reduce skin contact time and exposure. To protect the skin from epidermal water loss, she should apply copious amounts of petrolatum to the exposed area. In some cases, Burow’s solution (aluminum acetate) can be used for its antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and cooling effects. Unlike with atopic dermatitis, topical corticosteroids do not target the mechanism of irritant contact dermatitis. As such, OTC hydrocortisone would not be an appropriate treatment choice. Likewise, she should avoid lactic and salicylic acids, propylene glycol, and topical anesthetics, which may cause more irritation and potentiate allergic contact dermatitis. Inform her that the rash may become hyper- or hypopigmented and scaly. Given that the rash is on her face, the pharmacist should also refer her to a clinician for evaluation.