Local anaesthesia: Buffered or non-buffered? A comparative study

Abstract

An ideal local anesthetic should act swiftly and be efficacious without causing discomfort or toxicity. Buffered anesthetic is useful when it comes to limiting toxicity because of the reduced volume that is needed and the decreased time it takes to be effective when compared with other conventional means. Buffered anesthesia uses sodium bicarbonate mixed into lidocaine prior to injection to neutralize the acid. All the patients were explicated about the study and its significance and valid informed consent was procured from those who were willing to participate in the study. Patients were divided into two groups according to the right and left sides of patient – side A and side B. Side A included patients that were injected with buffered solution [combination of LA with adrenaline 1:80,000 & sodium bicarbonate] and side B included patients that were injected with LA with adrenaline 1:80,000. The results of this study confirm that the routine use of alkalinized local anesthetic solution in cases of acute head and neck infections may improve patients’ comfort and speed up the time of onset of anesthesia. In conclusion, the use of sodium bicarbonate as an adjunct in local anesthetics is convenient, safe, easy to dispense, and readily available.