Color Coding of Local Anesthetic Cartridges
This color-coding system, adopted by the ADA Council on Scientific Affairs in 2003, was designed to be part of the labeling on all injectable local anesthetics that carried the ADA Seal of Acceptance. However, it was implemented by most manufacturers for all of their injectable local anesthetics, whether or not their products had the ADA Seal.
The system was developed as a result of a resolution adopted by the ADA House of Delegates in response to dentist’s concerns that color coding schemes currently in use often differed from manufacturer to manufacturer for the same anesthetic product. The ADA worked closely with local anesthetic manufacturers to come up with a reasonable and workable system. Although the Association believes that dentists should read the labels of all drugs they administer, it also believes that uniform color-coding will be a useful adjunct in identifying the specific anesthetic/vasoconstrictor in the product.
Injectable local anesthetics have not been in the ADA Seal of Acceptance Program since the end of 2007, at which time the ADA terminated the Seal Program for professional dental products. The ADA Seal Program still awards the ADA Seal to consumer products. Professional dental products are now evaluated in the ADA Professional Products Report program. Even though they are no longer in the ADA Seal Program, most injectable local anesthetics marketed in the US continue to use this color coding system.
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COLOR CODE FORMAT
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Product
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PMS Color Code*
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Lidocaine 2% with Epinephrine 1:100,000
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Red: 185, 186, 199 or 200
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Lidocaine 2% with Epinephrine 1:50,000
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Green: 347, 348, 355 or 356
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Lidocaine Plain
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Light Blue: 279
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Mepivacaine 2% with Levonordefrin 1:20,000
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Brown: 471, 477, 478, 498 or 499
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Mepivacaine 3%
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Plain Tan: 466, 467 or 468
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Prilocaine 4% with Epinephrine 1:200,000
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Yellow: 108, 109, 110, 115 or 116
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Prilocaine 4%
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Plain Black
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Bupivacaine 0.5% with Epinephrine1:200,000
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Blue: 300 or 301
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Articaine 4% with Epinephrine 1:100,00
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Gold: 871, 872, 873, 874, or 875
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Articaine 4% with Epinephrine 1:200,000
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Silver: 877C
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