Bupivacaine for surgical removal of impacted mandibular third molar: A comparative evaluation with lignocaine

Abstract

Background: Removal of impacted molar teeth is the most frequent oral surgical procedure often followed by mild to severe postoperative pain, and it has a significant impact on the patient’s postoperative quality of life. The use of long-acting local anesthetics is a promising strategy to improve postoperative analgesia. The study aimed to compare the efficacy of bupivacaine with that of lignocaine, which has already proven its efficacy. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted on 50 subjects requiring the surgical removal of impacted mandibular molar teeth. A total of 25 subjects received 2% lignocaine with 1:80,000 adrenaline, whereas the remaining 25 received 0.5% bupivacaine with 1:200,000 adrenaline. The time of onset of action and duration of anesthesia were recorded. The intensity of postoperative pain was determined using the visual analog scale. The data obtained were statistically analyzed. Results: The mean time of onset of action was 2.5min and 5min for lignocaine and bupivacaine, respectively. The longer duration of action and lesser pain intensity were observed with bupivacaine, which was statistically significant. Conclusion: Bupivacaine provides better and prolonged anesthesia and analgesia postoperative to surgical removal of the impacted mandibular third molar. Hence, the use of bupivacaine in the surgical removal of the impacted third molar is desirable.