Background: The present study was conducted with the aim to compare bupivacaine and lignocaine in single sitting root canal treatment. Materials & Methods: The present study was conducted on 50 patients. Patients were randomly divided into 2 groups. In group I, 2% lignocaine was administered and in group II, 0.5% bupivacaine was administered. The visual analogue scale was recorded (VAS) before treatment and 4, 8, 16 and 36 hours after root canal treatment. Results: Mean VAS before treatment in both group I was 6, at 8 hours was 4.5 in group I and 4.3 in group II, at 8 hours was 5.2 in group I and 5.0 in group II, at 16 hours was 3.2 in group I and 2.5 in group II and at 36 hours was 2.5 in group I and 1.2 in group II. The difference was significant (P< 0.05). Conclusion: Authors suggested that both bupivacaine and lignocaine could be used in single sitting root canal treatment. However, 0.5% bupivacaine provided better results as compared to 2% lignocaine. Key words: lignocaine, Local anesthesia, Pain