Pain management is a key factor for success in Dentistry. In this regard, local anesthetics play a major role to perform pain free treatments. Among the most commonly used local anesthetics, several meta-analyses have proven that articaine should be considered the most effective molecule on the market. However, some specific patients or situations might require the use of other local anesthetics. In these situations, mepivacaine might be indicated.
During this lecture, the main characteristics, indications, contraindications, advantages and limitations of both articaine and mepivacaine will be discussed using the most relevant studies published on this topic.