Allergy to formaldehyde

: The article presents a case of 56-year-old patient, female, who developed generalized urticaria following dental treatment. The wheals appeared four hours after she left the clinic. During stomatological treatment she was given parapaste, a complex drug, consisting of cinchocaine, eugenol, paraformaldehyde and glycerin. She was admitted to hospital and was treated with prednison and cetirizine. The symptoms resolved in one day and she was discharged. This was the second episode of urticarial reaction to after dental visit. In a previous case, several months earlier, she received parapaste and Scandonest, local anaesthetic. She visited an allergologist after three weeks and skin prick tests with common allergens were done. All were negative. Then the prick tests with the ingredients of parapaste were done resulting in 5 mm diameter wheal to the solution of formaldehyde. We performed RAST to formaldehyde - the result was confirming the presence of antibodies to formaldehyde in a third class. The diagnosis of sensitization to formaldehyde was made. The incidence of allergy to dental drugs was discussed.