Evaluation of mandibular infiltration versus block anesthesia in pediatric dentistry

The authors consider mandibular infiltration as a possible alternative to mandibular block anesthesia in young children. The study sample comprised eighteen children ages six to nine years old who required bilateral identical treatment on primary mandibular molars. A random number table was used to determine which side of the mouth was to receive the block or the infiltration technique and a coin toss determined which would be administered first: A short 27 gauge needle was used to inject a 2 percent lidocaine solution with 1:100,000 epinephrine, in both techniques. The paired t-test indicated no significant difference between the two techniques for any of the factors evaluated.