Comparative Analysis Between Computed and Conventional Inferior Alveolar Nerve Block Techniques

Area of Science:

• Dentistry
• Anesthesiology
• Oral Surgery

Background:

• Inferior alveolar nerve block is a common dental anesthesia technique.
• Conventional methods can sometimes be associated with inadequate anesthesia or patient discomfort.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the efficacy and patient experience of a computed inferior alveolar nerve block technique versus the conventional method.
• To evaluate pain perception, patient satisfaction, and procedural efficiency.

Main Methods:

• A randomized, double-blind, controlled trial involving 29 healthy patients (58 surgeries) aged 18-40 years.
• Comparison of computed and conventional inferior alveolar nerve block using 2% lidocaine with 1:200,000 epinephrine.
• Assessment of pain (Visual Analogue Scale), patient satisfaction (Likert Scale), and procedure time.

Main Results:

• Mean pain scores were slightly lower for the computed technique (2.86 ± 1.96) compared to the conventional technique (3.45 ± 2.73), but this difference was not statistically significant (P > 0.05).
• No statistically significant differences were observed in patient satisfaction between the two techniques.
• The computed technique took significantly longer to perform (3.85 minutes) than the conventional technique (1.61 minutes) (P < 0.001).

Conclusions:

• The computed anesthetic technique for inferior alveolar nerve block demonstrated a trend towards reduced pain perception compared to the conventional method.
• Neither technique offered a statistically significant advantage in terms of pain reduction or patient satisfaction.
• The conventional technique was significantly faster to perform than the computed method.