Abstract
Introduction. Caffeine works on elevating the intracellular level of cAMP, which increases synaptic plasticity, accelerating recovery after general anesthesia. A common myth among dental practitioners states that coffee consumers are more likely to feel pain during treatment. This study aims at investigating the effect of caffeine on the onset, duration and efficacy of local anesthesia. Materials and methods. 50 female patients aged between 18-30 years, with sound maxillary central incisors, voluntarily participated in the trial. A chair-side questionnaire was filled in; based on the responses given, subjects were classified as a low caffeine intake group (LCG) or high caffeine intake group (HCG). Baseline sensibility was established using EPT. A single cartridge of 2% Lidocaine with 1:100,000 epinephrine was infiltrated labially to tooth # 11. Patients were monitored for 30 minutes and EPT readings were recorded 2, 5,10, 20, and 30 minutes after LA injection. Data was then sent for descriptive and statistical analysis. Results and discussion. The failure rate of pulpal anesthesia was 16% (LCG) and 32% (HCG), respectively, with significant differences. The maximum LA onset was at 2 and 5 minute intervals and the duration of pulpal anesthesia was slightly longer in (LCG) compared to (HCG) - 11.5 min and 8 min, respectively. Conclusions. Caffeine effect on the LA was not proven, however, so that another trail with larger sample size is highly recommended. Dental practitioners should not relay the high failure of LA to external reasons without looking deep in the biological responses and variations.