Other "-Caines" Often Replace Novocaine In The Dentist's Office - Chemical & Engineering News

Main Category: Dentistry
Also Included In: Pain / Anesthetics
Article Date: 02 Jul 2009 - 3:00 PDT

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Novocaine? Not necessarily. The widespread belief that dentists rely on Novocaine to make those office visits almost painless needs some updating, according to an article scheduled for the June 29 issue of Chemical & Engineering News, ACS' weekly newsmagazine. In fact, patients are more likely to get any of several other anesthetics than the century-old standby Novocaine, which once reigned as the archetypal dental anesthetic.

C&EN senior editor Elizabeth Wilson notes that Novocaine, also known as procaine, has become a catchall term for a variety of dental anesthetics widely used today. These substances include less-familiar names like benzocaine, lidocaine, articaine, and mepivacaine. Like Novocaine, all are non-addictive relatives of the original, naturally occurring local anesthetic cocaine, which is found in coca leaves.

None of the newer local anesthetics are perfect, leading scientists to seek better medications that are faster-acting, more effective, and safer. Wilson's article describes not only this ongoing quest, but also research to determine exactly how dental anesthetics work in the body.

"Dental anesthetics"

Source
American Chemical Society