Calculating local anesthesia dosage

Local anesthesia is an everyday part of dentistry but its dangers should not be overlooked, especially in the pediatric population. Caution should be used to avoid local anesthesia toxicity and overdose. The best way to do this is to calculate the maximum dosage based on the patient’s weight. 

The quick and easy way to get a safe dosage for lidocaine 2% and articaine 4% is approximately 1 carpule for every 10kg. Here’s the math behind it:

Lidocaine 2% has a maximum dosage of 4.4mg/kg, or 44mg/10kg, and each 1.7ml carpule has 34mg of lidocaine (less than 44mg). 

Articaine 4% has a maximum dosage of 7mg/kg, or 70mg/10kg, and each 1.7ml carpule has 68mg of lidocaine (less than 70mg. 

A more accurate way to calculate the maximum dosage and number of carpules is to go to my website (link in bio!). There, you can calculate dosages for lidocaine, articaine, mepivacaine, and bupivacaine for the patient’s weight in kilograms and pounds. If there are additional local anesthetics or other calculators you want to see covered, leave a comment down below! 

Took a while to learn html and javascript. If you have any programming tips or tricks, feel free to dm me :) 

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