The dental nerve block is a commonality at every dental practice all over the world. Any practising dentist requires the use of Lidocaine as an anaesthetic agent for most patients.

Treatments such as root canals or extractions, even certain deep fillings, require the usage of anaesthesia to ensure patients can relax and have a pain-free experience at the dentist’s office.

The fact of the matter is that without anaesthesia, no dentist will be able to successfully run their dental practice or attract new patients to the clinic. How can any dentist promise a pain-free experience without anaesthesia?

Medicaine and Lidocaine are one and the same

Lidocaine, commonly known as its consumer name, Medicaine, is a 2% Lidocaine and 1:100,000 epinephrine anaesthetic injection available in boxes of 50, 1.8ml cartridges in the local Pakistani market.

This injection is used by most small and large dental clinics for clinical use on a daily basis.

Depending on the drug and family history of the patient, Medicaine cartridges can be used on the patient more than once.

While multiple cartridges are used on a patient to ensure an effective nerve block, it is highly likely that the clinics will require a regular supply of the anaesthetic agent.

Medicaine Shortage and Price Hike in Pakistan

However, there seems to be a certain shortage of this particular anaesthetic agent in the market. Almost all dental suppliers in the market have denied the presence of Medicaine in stock.

Not only this, according to the manufacturing price on the packet of anaesthetic cartridges, it denotes the sale price as Rs. 1785.72.

The suppliers, however, quote a different price altogether. Not only is this price higher, but it is also almost double the manufacturing price of the product. Suppliers claim that the price of Medicaine is Rs. 3000 in the market, the price at which the dentists have been purchasing the product for a while now.

Speaking to Dr Khan, a practising dentist residing in Swat, KPK, he said :

‘’I ordered a box of Medicaine from my supplier just a week ago for my clinic. It cost me Rs.3250. However, my friend bought the same box in Islamabad for his clinic just the other day, but due to the unavailability, it cost him Rs. 5500. He had bought for himself from the Black market.’’

According to Dr Khan, the shortage of Medicaine in the market has caused doctors to opt for alternative methods of accessing the product: The Black Market.

Medicaine is currently available in the black market at a price that is far more expensive than the initial Rs. 3000.

According to sources, the price for Medicaine is up to Rs. 6000 if purchased under these circumstances. This is about four times the manufacturing price of the product mentioned in the box.

The manufacturing company, Hospital Supply Corporation, claims that this is due to a delay in the consignment that was to import the product from Korea.

When asked if this is the reason for the price hike, the company reiterated that due to the shortage, suppliers increase prices on their own accord for maximum profits.

The company claims they have no role to play in the price hike.

The question then arises: Who or what is solely responsible for this Medicaine conundrum?

It is of utmost importance that the manufacturing company take notice of the issue at hand and rectify the problem. Shipments should be arranged before any prediction of shortage. Distributors of the product should be closely monitored to make sure Medicaine is being sold at the original price.

Clinicians should be allowed to purchase the product at the same price as mentioned on the box. Not only does this inconvenience our local dentists, but the patients also go through an uncomfortable, costly dental experience.

In relation to the cost of the dental or anaesthetic material, the cost of the treatment is directly proportional.

While the Pakistani population already faces frustration at the hands of inflation, such issues are just unnecessarily cumbersome.