title: A comparative evaluation of 4% articaine and 2% lidocaine in mandibular buccal infiltration anesthesia: A clinical study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To compare 4% articaine and 2% lidocaine local anesthetics in achieving pulpal anesthesia of the lower first permanent molar teeth objectively, and to assess and compare lip and lingual mucosa numbness subjectively.
  
  
  METHODS
  All subjects received 1.7 ml of any one anesthetic in the mucobuccal fold adjacent to mandibular first molar teeth; the same individuals received the second infiltration at least 1 week after the first. Later, comparisons for pulpal anesthesia, lip and lingual mucosa numbness between these two anesthetics solutions were made.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Articaine showed significant results with P = 0.006 in achieving pulpal anesthesia objectively, when compared with lidocaine. Articaine also showed very high significant results subjectively with P = 0.0006 in achieving lip numbness, when compared with lidocaine. But the results in achieving lingual mucosa numbness with articaine subjectively was not significant with P = 0.01, when compared with lidocaine.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Endodontic and operative treatments are one of the most common oral non-surgical procedures done under local anesthesia. The diversity of anesthetic substances currently available on the market requires dental professionals to assess the drug both by its pharmacokinetic and also by its clinical characteristics during dental treatments. Our study used 4% articaine, which is available in the market, for comparison with 2% lidocaine. Further studies are required to use an equal concentration of solutions to achieve more accurate results.
authors.affiliation: Department of Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics, Pariyaram Dental College, Academy of Medical Sciences, Pariyaram, Kerala, India.
authors.forename: Sunith
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Maruthingal
authors.affiliation: Department of Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics, Pariyaram Dental College, Academy of Medical Sciences, Pariyaram, Kerala, India.
authors.forename: Dennis
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mohan
authors.affiliation: Department of Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics, Government Dental College, Calicut, Kerala, India.
authors.forename: Ramesh Kumar
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Maroli
authors.affiliation: Department of Dental Health, MOH, Alfarabi Colleges, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Alahmari
authors.affiliation: Department of Dental Health, MOH, Alfarabi Colleges, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Ahmed
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Alqahtani
authors.affiliation: Department of Dental Health, MOH, Alfarabi Colleges, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Mohammed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Alsadoon
keywords: Articaine; lidocaine; local anesthetics; pulpal anesthesia