Journal of AdvancedMedical and Dental Sciences Research

Background: Transalveolar extraction of the impacted molars is the most frequently performed oral surgical procedure. The mainstay for intraoperative pain control for any outpatient procedures are local anaesthetics. The present study was conducted with the aim to determine and compare the anaesthetic efficacy of articaine and lidocaine in third molar surgery. Materials and methods: The present prospective study was done enrolling 50 subjects reporting to the dental department. All the subjects with impacted mandibular third molar between 18-30 years were included in the study. The local anaesthesia was not known to the doctor and patient. The surgical technique of extraction was similar amongst all the subjects and the post operative medications were also same. SPSS software was used for the analysis of data and chi square test was used for descriptive analysis. Probability value of less than 0.05 was considered significant. Results: The study included 50 subjects, out of which 35 were males and 15 females. The mean age of the subjects was 31.34 +/- 4.28 years. The mean pain in Group A was 0.95 +/-0.80. The mean pain in Group B was 1.20 +/-1.10. The mean duration in Group A was 230 +/-57.12 minutes. The mean duration in Group B was 190 +/-34.21. Conclusion: In our study, articaine provided a better and faster pain relief and can be regarded as a safe alternative to lidocaine for performing dental treatment. Key words: Anaesthesia, Articaine, Lidocaine, Pain.