Articaine

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Articaine
Systematic (IUPAC) name
methyl 4-methyl-3-(2-propylaminopropanoylamino)thiophene-2-carboxylate hydrochloride
Identifiers
CAS number	23964-57-0
ATC code	??
PubChem	?
DrugBank	?
Chemical data
Formula	C₁₃H₂₀N₂O₃S
Mol. mass	320.836 g/mol
Pharmacokinetic data
Bioavailability	?
Metabolism	Liver
Half life	?
Excretion	?
Therapeutic considerations
Pregnancy cat.	?
Legal status	?
Routes	Subcutaneous, ?

Articaine is a dental local anesthetic. It is manufactured and distributed by Septodont under the brand name Septocaine. Articaine hydrochloride 4% with epinephrine 1:100,000 injection. Septocaine was first approved for use in Germany in 1976 and throughout Europe shortly after. Canada approved usage in 1982, with the US FDA following in 2000. Qualities such as fast acting nature and strength of dosage have made it more appealing for use by dentists than other available anesthetics such as novocaine and lidocaine.

[edit] Structure and Metabolism

Septocaine is unique among local anesthetics because it contains a thiophene group, and also because it contains both ester and amide groups. Septocaine is an amide anesthetic due to the amide intermediate chain, and undergoes hepatic metabolism. However, the associated ester group also allows plasma metabolism via pseudocholinesterase, purportedly increasing the rate of breakdown.

[edit] Complications

Serious complications have been associated with Septocaine. Long-term or permanent paresthesia is among the worst of the reported side effects of Septocaine and occurs more frequently than with lidocaine.

It should be noted that almost all recorded cases of long term numbness or parasthesia in a dental setting are associated with a mandibular nerve block type injection and simple infiltration injections are generally thought to be immune from such complications. for this reason many dentists have abandoned using articaine for mandibular nerve blocks.