All the Way to Alaska to Talk about Articaine
Dr. Tuttle was able to hear lecturers Dr. J. Mel Hawkins, DDS, BScD(AN),FADSA, DADBA and Dr. Alan W. Budenz, MS, DDS, MBA discuss articaine and other big topics about local anesthesia.
October 13, 2018
OVERVIEW:
"Published reports show the statistically significant and superior effectiveness of articaine in the ability to obtain successful anesthesia both by infiltration and block when compared to lidocaine. (Kanaa DM et.al, J Endod 2006;32:296-298) The paresthesia debate regarding the potential of a 4% local anesthetic solution to be allegedly more neurotoxic than other currently administered local anesthetic solutions of lesser concentrations is ongoing. There is an absence of conclusive evidence and lack of experimentally reproducible data, other than survey quoted statistics, regarding the cause and effect of local anesthetics that might chemically result in post-operative sequellae such as paresthesia. The differential diagnosis of the causative factors surrounding paresthesia suggest mechanical and/or neurotoxic phenomena or both."
CONCLUSION:
"Although retrospective and prospective information suggests that articaine has a slightly greater or equal incidence of paresthesia compared with other local anesthetics, articaine administration for IAN/lingual nerve techniques would appear to have a risk / benefit ratio in scenarios where the therapeutic efficacy and safety benefits may outweigh the minimal risk.
The perspectives and reports on paresthesia should continually be explored and re-assessed. Future “super” local anesthetics, yet to be developed, will direct and underline the ongoing pursuit of new and improved products for application in both medicine and dentistry."
-ARTICAINE: “PANACEA OR PROBLEM?” Hawkins, Mel, DDS, BScD AN, FADSA, DADBA
