Comparison of Articaine and Lidocaine for nerve block before dental extraction

Administering Articaine 4% with Adrenaline is highly potent, low in toxicity, and rapidly diffuses, making it ideal for inflamed tissues and safe for diverse patient groups.

To compare the effectiveness of Lidocaine 2% plus Adrenaline (1:200,000) and Articaine 4% plus Adrenaline (1:100000) for inferior alveolar nerve block before extracting bilateral posterior teeth beyond the canine spaced at a week.

In this study, 35 patients were divided into two groups, namely: Group 1 received 2% Lignocaine with Adrenaline (1:200000), and Group 2 received 4% Articaine with Adrenaline (1: 100,000). The research evaluated the onset of action and depth of anaesthesia. A pulp tester was exercised to obtain quantitative measurements, while a visual analogue scale (VAS) was utilized for the qualitative assessment of the two anaesthetic drugs. The evaluation was conducted in 2-minute intervals over 10 minutes, specifically focusing on the test canine. A pulp tester value of 64 in 10 minutes was considered successful for both anaesthetics.

The efficacy of Lignocaine and Articaine was compared with the Student's t-test. Responses to the pulp vitality test and VAS over time were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA and post-hoc Bonferroni test.

Articaine 4% with Adrenaline consistently achieved higher VAS scores for lip numbness compared to 2% Lignocaine at all intervals (2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 minutes). By 10 minutes, complete numbness was reliably achieved with Articaine, demonstrating faster and more effective anaesthesia onset than Lignocaine.

Articaine 4% with Adrenaline provides faster and deeper anaesthesia than Lignocaine 2% with Adrenaline for bilateral posterior teeth extractions within a week.