[ 05-23-2018 ] The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning that over-the-counter (OTC) oral drug products containing benzocaine should not be used to treat infants and children younger than 2 years. We are also warning that benzocaine oral drug products should only be used in adults and children 2 years and older if they contain certain warnings on the drug label. These products carry serious risks and provide little to no benefits for treating oral pain, including sore gums in infants due to teething. Benzocaine, a local anesthetic, can cause a condition in which the amount of oxygen carried through the blood is greatly reduced. This condition, called methemoglobinemia, can be life-threatening and result in death.

Due to the significant safety risk of methemoglobinemia, we have urged manufacturers that they should stop marketing OTC oral drug products for treating teething in infants and children younger than 2 years. If companies do not comply, we will take action to remove these products from the market. We have also urged manufacturers of OTC oral drug products containing benzocaine for adults and children 2 years and older to make the following changes to the labels of their products:

Adding a warning about methemoglobinemia;

Adding contraindications, FDA’s strongest warnings, directing parents and caregivers not to use the product for teething and not to use in infants and children younger than 2 years; and

Revising the directions to direct parents and caregivers not to use the product in infants and children younger than 2 years.

We continue to monitor the safety and effectiveness of OTC benzocaine products and intend to take additional actions in the future as needed. We will notify the public about any updates. In addition to our recent actions regarding OTC benzocaine products, we are also requiring a standardized methemoglobinemia warning to be included in the prescribing information of all prescription local anesthetics.

Parents and caregivers should follow the American Academy of Pediatrics’ recommendations for treating teething pain :1

Gently rub or massage the child’s gums with one of your fingers.

Use a firm rubber teething ring.

Topical pain relievers and medications that are rubbed on the gums are not useful because they wash out of a baby’s mouth within minutes. FDA has previously cautioned parents and caregivers to not give certain homeopathic teething tablets to children.

Alternative treatments for adults who experience mouth pain may include dilute salt water mouth rinse and OTC pain relief medications. Adults should follow the American Dental Association’s recommendations for mouth sores and spots :

Schedule regular oral health checkups

Keep a diary of what you eat and drink

Keep a list of oral hygiene products you have been using

Avoid all tobacco products

If you drink alcoholic beverages, do so in moderation

See your dentist if you notice any change in your mouth

Consumers using benzocaine products to treat mouth pain should seek medical attention immediately for signs and symptoms of methemoglobinemia. These include pale, gray or blue-colored skin, lips, and nail beds; shortness of breath; fatigue; confusion; headache; lightheadedness; and fast heart rate. Signs and symptoms of methemoglobinemia may appear within minutes to one to two hours after using benzocaine. Symptoms may occur after using benzocaine for the first time, as well as after prior uses.

Health care professionals should warn patients of the possibility of methemoglobinemia and advise them of the signs and symptoms when recommending or prescribing local anesthetic products. Some patients are at greater risk for complications related to methemoglobinemia. This includes those with breathing problems such as asthma, bronchitis, or emphysema; heart disease, and the elderly. Health care professionals using local anesthetics during medical procedures should take steps to minimize the risk for methemoglobinemia. These include monitoring patients for signs and symptoms suggestive of methemoglobinemia; using co-oximetry when possible; and having resuscitation equipment and medications readily available, including methylene blue.

Benzocaine is a local anesthetic contained in some OTC products for the temporary relief of pain due to minor irritation, soreness, or injury of the mouth and throat. Benzocaine products are marketed as gels, sprays, ointments, solutions, and lozenges under brand names such as Anbesol, Orabase, Orajel, Baby Orajel, Hurricaine, and Topex, as well as store brands and generics. Prescription local anesthetics include articaine, bupivacaine, chloroprocaine, lidocaine, mepivacaine, prilocaine, ropivacaine, and tetracaine.

We have been closely monitoring the risk of methemoglobinemia with the use of OTC and prescription local anesthetics and previously communicated about this risk in 2014, 2011, and 2006. We estimate that more than 400 cases of benzocaine-associated methemoglobinemia have been reported to FDA* or published in the medical literature since 1971. There are likely additional cases about which we are unaware.

As part of our continued monitoring of this safety risk, we recently evaluated 119 cases of benzocaine-associated methemoglobinemia reported to FDA and identified in the medical literature in the 8½ years between February 2009 and October 2017. We have continued to receive cases even after our 2014 communication. Most of the 119 cases were serious and required treatment. Twenty-two cases occurred in patients younger than 18 years, and 11 of these were in children younger than 2 years. Four patients died among the 119 patients, including one infant. We also conducted a study comparing the relative ability of the two local anesthetics benzocaine and lidocaine to make methemoglobin. The study showed that benzocaine generated much more methemoglobin than lidocaine in a red blood cell model.2

We urge patients, consumers, and health care professionals to report side effects involving benzocaine, prescription local anesthetics, or other medicines to the FDA MedWatch program, using the information in the “Contact FDA” box at the bottom of the page.