Articaine Hydrochloride

The objective of the present study is to assess and compare the effectiveness of two different anesthetic agents, namely, 4% articaine and 2% lignocaine, in the extraction of primary molar teeth in children.

The study included 25 children requiring bilateral extractions of primary molar, with extraction performed on one side with 4% articaine and the contralateral side extraction with 2% lignocaine at two separate appointments. The anesthetic efficacy was evaluated objectively by assessing pain and the child's behavior at baseline, during injection and during extraction using the sound, eye, and motor (SEM) scale objectively, and subjectively using the faces pain rating scale (FPS). The data were then compiled and subjected to statistical analysis.

On statistical analysis, there was no statistically significant difference found between the two anesthetic agents during extraction of primary molar teeth, whereas a statistically significant difference was present between articaine and lignocaine during local anesthesia administration on the FPS scale. Also, there was no statistically significant difference found on SEM scale during the procedure between the two anesthetic agents.

Articaine can effectively be used as an alternative to lignocaine and inferior alveolar nerve block (IANB) where a long-term procedure is required.

In pediatric dentistry, articaine and lignocaine play a very important roles as local anesthetic agents, offering clinicians effective tools to manage pain and discomfort during dental procedures for children. How to cite this article: Grover J, Grover R, Gupta S, et al. Comparative Evaluation of 4% Articaine and 2% Lignocaine Anesthetic Agents in Children: A Split-mouth Randomized Control Trial. J Contemp Dent Pract 2024;25(10):950-954.

Local anesthetics (LAs: articaine, lidocaine, bupivacaine, and mepivacaine) are essential for dental pain management. However, there are concerns that the lipophilic LAs could cross into breast milk causing toxicity to the infant. Our objective was to establish a multi-analyte LC-MS/MS method for the concurrent quantification of local anesthetics (LAs) in human plasma and breast milk, clarifying the transfer of LAs from plasma to breast milk, thereby offering crucial data for the safe assessment of LAs during the nursing period. Sample preparation for plasma and breast milk involved protein precipitation and a single dilution step. The chromatographic analysis was conducted using an ACQUITY UPLC BEH C18 column. Detection was facilitated by a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer employing positive electrospray ionization. The method demonstrated excellent linearity for articaine, mepivacaine, and bupivacaine across the range of 0.5 to 500 ng/mL, and for lidocaine from 1.0 to 1000 ng/mL in both plasma and breast milk, with correlation coefficients (R2) of 0.99 or higher. The method was effectively utilized in the analysis of samples from three nursing mothers who received dental treatment involving LAs. Articaine and lidocaine excretion in milk was confirmed, but it presented no significant safety risks to the breastfed infants.