Clinical comparison of bupivacaine and amethocaine: onset and duration in extradural blockade

Bupivacaine: a long-lasting local anesthetic for dentistry

Bupivacaine, a long-acting amide local anesthetic, is a chemical analogue of mepivacaine with high lipid-solubility and protein-binding characteristics. These properties contribute to bupivacaine's greater potency and anesthetic duration as compared to other local anesthetics used in dentistry. The prolonged anesthesia it produces has been shown to limit postoperative pain following third molar extractions and endodontic procedures. Bupivacaine 0.5% with 1:200,000 epinephrine provides a safe and valuable alternative to the anesthetic agents presently available in dentistry.

Cryoanalgesia. A new approach to pain relief

Cryotherapy has been clinically applied to relieve pain using a new cryosurgical probe to block peripheral nerve function to achieve analgesia. Sixty-four patients with intractable pain were treated with cryoanalgesia. Fifty-two obtained relief of pain for a median duration of 11 days and a range of up to 224 days.