Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine local anesthetic selection and dentists' use of articaine in children.
Methods: Using a cross-sectional survey design, a questionnaire regarding the use of local anesthetics in children was mailed to a random sample of dentists and all pediatric dentists from North Carolina and Virginia. The 16-item questionnaire included questions regarding the preferred local anesthetic used in children. The association between dental practitioner type and anesthetic use was tested using the chi-square or Fisher's exact test.
Results: There was a 30% response rate. Lidocaine with epinephrine was the local anesthetic preferred overall by all practitioners. Approximately 50% of dentists surveyed reported using articaine in children. There were no significant differences in the preference of articaine between provider types with the exception of older, 7- to 10-year-old patients, where general dentists preferred articaine significantly more than pediatric dentists (28% vs 16%).
Conclusions: While lidocaine with epinephrine was still the preferred local anesthetic for use in children, the use of articaine in children was prevalent among both general and pediatric dentists. The use of articaine became more prevalent as the patient's age increased.