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Articaine Dose Calculation — NDEB AFK MCQ

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ModeratePain & Anxiety ControlArticaine Dose CalculationNDEB AFK

The maximum amount of 4% articaine with 1:100,000 epinephrine that can be administered to a healthy 50 kg patient is approximately how many cartridges?

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Correct answer: B — 5 cartridges

The maximum recommended dose of articaine with epinephrine is 7 mg/kg. For a 50 kg patient: 7 × 50 = 350 mg maximum. Each 1.7 mL cartridge of 4% articaine contains 68 mg (40 mg/mL × 1.7 mL). Maximum cartridges: 350/68 = 5.1 cartridges, so approximately 5 cartridges. However, the epinephrine limit (200 μg healthy adult = 11 cartridges of 1:100,000) is not the limiting factor here; the articaine dose is.

Reference: Malamed – Handbook of Local Anesthesia, 7th ed., 2020