A new method is described using solid-phase extraction (SPE) for preconcentration of articaine and the metabolite articainic acid and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for the determination of both compounds in human serum. Articaine and articainic acid were extracted in one step with SDB-RPS disk cartridges after precipitation of the serum proteins by perchloric acid. The HPLC separation was then performed on a reversed-phase C₈ column using phosphate buffer-acetonitrile (88:12, v/v). UV absorption at 274 nm was used for measuring the analytes with a low limit of quantitation of about 10 ng/ml, which is appropriate for pharmacokinetic studies of low dose submucosal injections of the local anaesthetic agent articaine hydrochloride in dentistry. Copyright (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V.