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Testing the Anesthetic Effectiveness of Buffered Articaine Injected Next to a Lower First Molar.

A Prospective Randomized, Double-blind Study of the Anesthetic Efficacy of Buffered Articaine as a Primary Buccal Infiltration of the Mandibular First Molar.

Status
Completed
Phases
Phase 4
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT01862614
Enrollment
80
Registered
2013-05-24
Start date
2013-04-30
Completion date
2014-05-31
Last updated
2021-05-26

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Anesthetic Effectiveness

Keywords

Degree of pulpal anesthesia obtained., Primary infiltration in the lower first molar., Buffered local anesthetic.

Brief summary

Infiltration (injecting next to the tooth) injections are common in dentistry and a number of studies have shown that articaine anesthetic, when injected next to a lower molar, is more effective than a local anesthetic injection of lidocaine. However success rates have not been as high as hoped for. No objective study has addressed the success rate of buffering articaine in a mandibular primary buccal infiltration of the first molar. Therefore, the purpose of this prospective, randomized, double-blind, crossover study is to compare the degree of pulpal anesthesia obtained with a buffered 4% articaine with 1:100,000 epinephrine solution versus a non-buffered 4% articaine with 1:100,000 epinephrine solution as a primary infiltration in the mandibular first molar. The investigators will also record the pain of injection and postoperative pain.

Detailed description

Using a crossover design, 80 adult subjects will receive two injections consisting of a primary mandibular first molar infiltration of 1.8 mL of non-buffered 4% articaine with 1:100,000 epinephrine, and 1.8 mL of buffered 4% articaine with 1:100,000 in two separate appointments spaced at least one week apart. With the crossover design, 160 infiltrations will be given for the first molar and each subject will serve as his or her own control. Eighty infiltrations will be administered on the mandibular left side and 80 administered on the mandibular right side. The order of the two injections will be assigned randomly and the dentist and subject will be blinded about which anesthetic the subject is given. The anesthetics used in this study are not experimental. An electric pulp tester (EPT) will be used to test the lower first molar for anesthesia starting 30 seconds after the injection; and testing every 30 seconds for the first five minutes. After five minutes the EPT will be used to test the lower first molar every minute and the contralateral control canine every 5 minutes for a grand total of sixty minutes. The pain of injection and postoperative pain will be recorded in a survey. Patients will report any postoperative pain or discomfort on a Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for three days following each appointment. The data will be statistically analyzed.

Interventions

DRUGBuffered Articaine Hydrochloride + Epinephrine

Sponsors

Ohio State University
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
CROSSOVER
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
DOUBLE (Subject, Investigator)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 65 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes

Inclusion criteria

* Between the age of 18-65 years. * in good health (ASA classification II or higher). * able to provide informed consent.

Exclusion criteria

* allergy to articaine. * history of significant medical problems (ASA classification of III or worse). * diagnosed depression (taking tri-cyclic antidepressant medications to control). * have taken central nervous system (CNS) depressants (including alcohol or any analgesic medications) within the last 48 hours prior to testing. * lactating or pregnant. * inability to give informed consent.

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Number of Participants Achieving Pulpal Anesthesia.60 minutes per injection sequence.An electric pulp tester will be used to test the lower jaw teeth (molars, premolars, and incisors) for anesthesia (numbness) in 4-minute time cycles for 60 minutes. Measurements of less than 80 on the EPT is considered not numb (anesthesia failure). Readings of 80 equate to anesthetic success.

Countries

United States

Participant flow

Recruitment details

80 subjects will be recruited in this crossover study. Each of the subjects will receive the injection regimens at 2 separate appointments spaced at least 2 weeks apart.

Participants by arm

ArmCount
Articaine
Subjects receiving articaine injection.
80
Total80

Baseline characteristics

CharacteristicArticaine
Age, Categorical
<=18 years
0 Participants
Age, Categorical
>=65 years
0 Participants
Age, Categorical
Between 18 and 65 years
80 Participants
Age, Continuous25.3 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 2.5
Region of Enrollment
United States
80 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Female
38 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Male
42 Participants

Adverse events

Event typeEG000
affected / at risk
EG001
affected / at risk
deaths
Total, all-cause mortality
— / —— / —
other
Total, other adverse events
0 / 800 / 80
serious
Total, serious adverse events
0 / 800 / 80

Outcome results

Primary

Number of Participants Achieving Pulpal Anesthesia.

An electric pulp tester will be used to test the lower jaw teeth (molars, premolars, and incisors) for anesthesia (numbness) in 4-minute time cycles for 60 minutes. Measurements of less than 80 on the EPT is considered not numb (anesthesia failure). Readings of 80 equate to anesthetic success.

Time frame: 60 minutes per injection sequence.

ArmMeasureValue (COUNT_OF_PARTICIPANTS)
ArticaineNumber of Participants Achieving Pulpal Anesthesia.52 Participants
Buffered ArticaineNumber of Participants Achieving Pulpal Anesthesia.57 Participants

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026