Topics in Oral Surgery

Local Anaesthetic

From the DentTest dentistry textbook, with 33 practice questions. Last updated 11 August 2026.

Drug

Maximum 8 Hourly Dose

Brand names

Key features

Plain

With adrenaline

Lidocaine

3 mg/kg

7 mg/kg

Lignospan, xylocaine

Adrenaline used with care in patients with recent MI or arrhythmias

Articaine

Not used

7 mg/kg

Septocaine

Generally not used for inferior alveolar nerve blocks

Bupivacaine

2 mg/kg

2 mg/kg

Marcaine

Longer acting, higher incidence of arrhythmia than lidocaine

Prilocaine

6 mg/kg

8 mg/kg

Carbocaine, citanest

Theoretical risk of inducing labour in late pregnancy, associated with methaemoglobinaemia

Drug

Common configuration

Lidocaine

2% lidocaine

2% lidocaine + 1 in 80,000 adrenaline

Articaine

4% articaine + 1 in 100,000 adrenaline

4% articaine + 1 in 200,000 adrenaline

Bupivacaine

0.25% bupivacaine + 1 in 200,000 adrenaline

0.5% bupivacaine + 1 in 200,000 adrenaline

Prilocaine

3% prilocaine + 0.03 IU felypressin