Is Articane and Lidocaine the Same? Which is Safer?

Background Ever since the inception of lidocaine into dentistry, it has been considered as a gold standard. But with the upcoming advancements, it is not the only choice these days. This study aimed to investigate and compare the efficacy of articaine (4 %) buccal infiltration with lidocaine (2 %) posterior superior alveolar nerve block in cases of maxillary teeth extraction. Methods Twenty six subjects (in their middle-age) were recruited into this study and were referred for a simple dental extraction of maxillary second molar. They were divided randomly using double blind method into two groups that received standard posterior superior nerve block (2 % lidocaine with 1100, 000 epinephrine) and buccal infiltration (4 % articaine with 1100, 000 epinephrine) respectively followed by descriptive analysis of data using SPSS software. Results Articaine as buccal infiltration produced faster onset and shorter duration of anaesthesia than lidocaine as PSA nerve block. Moreover, lidocaine group needed more supplemental injections. Conclusion Buccal infiltration with 4 % articane has high success rate. It avoids complications that occur due to the use of supplemental injections and therefore, can be considered as a good alternative for PSA nerve block.