Which statement about amide local anesthetics is true?

Which statement about amide local anesthetics is true?

• A. They all have an 'i' in the prefix
• B. They are all esters
• C. They are not used in dentistry
• D. They are all single-use

Answer: (A)

Amide local anesthetics share a common naming pattern: the part of the name before the suffix -caine always includes the letter i. In dentistry, the amide class includes lidocaine, prilocaine, mepivacaine, bupivacaine, ropivacaine, and articaine, and each of these prefixes (lido-, prilo-, mepiva-, bupi-, robi-, arti-) contains an i. That makes the statement about having an i in the prefix true. The other options aren’t accurate: amide anesthetics are not all esters (they are defined by an amide linkage, though some drugs may have ester-like features in naming), they are routinely used in dentistry, and they are not limited to single-use dosing.

Amide local anesthetics share a common naming pattern: the part of the name before the suffix -caine always includes the letter i. In dentistry, the amide class includes lidocaine, prilocaine, mepivacaine, bupivacaine, ropivacaine, and articaine, and each of these prefixes (lido-, prilo-, mepiva-, bupi-, robi-, arti-) contains an i. That makes the statement about having an i in the prefix true. The other options aren’t accurate: amide anesthetics are not all esters (they are defined by an amide linkage, though some drugs may have ester-like features in naming), they are routinely used in dentistry, and they are not limited to single-use dosing.