ABSTRACT:
This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of anesthesia obtained with a novel injection approach for inferior alveolar nerve block compared with the conventional injection approach. 100 patients in good health, randomly received each of two injection approaches of local anesthetic on each side of the mandible at two separate appointments. A sharp probe was used to test anesthesia before injection, after injection when the patients’ sensation changed, and 5 min after injection. A visual analog scale (VAS) pain assessment was used immediately post injection. The significance level used in the statistical analysis was p<0.01. For the novel injection approach compared with the conventional injection approach, no significant difference was found on the subjective onset, objective onset, duration of anesthesia during operation, but the VAS pain score during injection was significantly different. The efficacy of inferior alveolar nerve block by the novel injection approach provided adequate anesthesia and caused less pain during injection.