Efficacy of Different Local Anesthetics for Pain Management in Surgical Removal of Palatally Placed Impacted Maxillary Canines: A Comparative Study

J Pharm Bioallied Sci. 2026 Apr-Jun;18(2):128-130. doi: 10.4103/jpbs.jpbs_597_25. Epub 2025 Oct 31.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To compare the efficacy of different local anesthetics in managing pain during the surgical removal of palatally placed impacted maxillary canines.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: A randomized controlled study was conducted on 90 patients requiring surgical removal of palatally impacted maxillary canines. Patients were divided into three groups, each receiving a different local anesthetic: 2% lidocaine with epinephrine (Group A), 4% articaine with epinephrine (Group B), and 0.5% bupivacaine with epinephrine (Group C). Pain levels were assessed intraoperatively and postoperatively using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS).

RESULTS: Articaine demonstrated superior intraoperative pain control compared to lidocaine and bupivacaine (VAS score: 1.5 ± 0.6 vs. 3.2 ± 0.8 and 2.8 ± 0.7, respectively, P < 0.05). Postoperative pain relief was significantly prolonged in the bupivacaine group (VAS score at 6 hours: 2.1 ± 0.9 vs. 4.5 ± 1.0 for lidocaine and 3.8 ± 0.9 for articaine, P < 0.05). No severe adverse effects were reported in any group.

CONCLUSION: Articaine provides superior intraoperative pain control, while bupivacaine offers longer-lasting postoperative analgesia. The choice of anesthetic should depend on the clinical requirements of intraoperative versus postoperative pain management.

PMID:42005490 | PMC:PMC13086367 | DOI:10.4103/jpbs.jpbs_597_25