FDA Warns Against Use of Benzocaine in Babies

The use of anesthetics on the gums of teething infants can cause methemoglobinemia, which leads to oxygen deprivation and could even cause death, the FDA warned. 

These products contain benzocaine, a drug the FDA first warned the public of in 2006.  In that year, they received 29 reports of benzocaine gel-related cases of methemoglobinemia.  Of those cases, 15 occurred in children under the age of 2-years-old.  Another similar warning was issued last year. 

The agency’s greatest concern lies in parents’ inability to recognize symptoms of the dangerous condition, which can begin immediately upon application or hours later.  Symptoms of methemoglobinemia include: pale skin or lips, shortness of breath, fatigue, confusion, headache, and rapid heart rate. 

Giving infants cold teething rings in lieu of numbing drugs is the method recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics.  They advise seeking physician consultation should teething rings prove insufficient. 

“For these reasons, the FDA recommends that parents and caregivers not use benzocaine products for children younger than 2 years, except under the advice and supervision of a health care professional,” the warning concluded.

-Michael Potts