In the world of anesthesia, Articaine is a product riddled with controversy. Whilst recent studies have proved that Articaine is relatively safe to use, many are still skeptical due to the previous narrative that Articaine has a higher chance of causing paralysis than Lidocaine and other anesthetics. So today, we sit down with Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon, Dr. Ben Hechler, to get to the bottom of Articaine’s safety by unpacking a few studies that were published in the last five years.  Our first study denotes that on an absolute scale, Articaine is not riskier to use than Lidocaine, and Dr. Ben explains why he agrees wholeheartedly. We also discuss anesthetic efficiency and discover that, once again, there is little to separate Articaine and Lidocaine. To end, both our host and guest detail how they use Articaine in their practices and Dr. Ben explains why every oral surgeon should be embracing Articaine instead of running away from it.

Key Points From This Episode:

• Why we’ve chosen to speak about Articaine and we dive into our first case study. 
• Dr. Ben explains what he likes about the study in question.
• How there’s no definitive proof that Articaine causes paralysis more than Lidocaine. 
• The second article that we discuss explores anesthetic efficiency. 
• How Articaine is slightly more effective than Lidocaine (within certain parameters).
• The way Doctors Ben and Grant use Articaine in their practices. 
• Why Articaine should be embraced by all oral surgeons. 

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Dr. Ben Hechler on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-hechler/   

‘Does the Use of Articaine Increase the Risk of Hypesthesia in Lower Third Molar Surgery? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis’ — https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32976834/  

‘Anesthetic Efficiency of Articaine Versus Lidocaine in the Extraction of Lower Third Molars: A Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review’ — https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30267700/ 

KLS Martin — https://www.klsmartin.com/en/ 

Everyday Oral Surgery Website — https://www.everydayoralsurgery.com/ 

Everyday Oral Surgery on Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/everydayoralsurgery/ 

Everyday Oral Surgery on Facebook — https://www.facebook.com/EverydayOralSurgery/

Dr. Grant Stucki Email — [email protected]

Dr. Grant Stucki Phone — 720-441-6059