Effective control of pain during dental procedures has been one of the most important prerequisite of dentistry.
In 1943, Löfgren synthesized the first modern local anesthetic agent, lidocaine, an amide derivate of diethylamino acetic acid. Lidocaine was marketed in 1948 and is presently the most commonly used local anesthetic in dentistry worldwide. In 1969, articaine was synthesized by the chemist Muschaweck and was approved in 1975 as a local anesthetic in Germany.
Articaine differs from the previous amide local anesthetics in that it has a thiophene ring in its molecule instead of the usual benzene ring. It was first named Carticaine, but its generic name was changed to Articaine in 1984. Articaine is the most widely used local anesthetic in a number of countries, including Canada, Norway, Italy, France and the Netherlands. In Germany, more than 90% of the local anesthesia used by dentists is articaine. Patients treated with articaine will be “drug free” more quickly than those who receive other local anesthetics. Articaine is claimed to be superior to lidocaine, owing to its better diffusion through soft tissue and bone, the rapid onset, the excellent quality of the anesthesia and the lower degree of toxicity.
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