Evaluation of Success of Inferior Alveolar Nerve Block Technique Applied by Dental Students at Different Educational Levels

Introduction: Unfortunately, the most important consideration that is ignored in evaluation of the success rate of IANB technique is the teaching and learning of the correct injection technique in the academic atmosphere of universities and during the study period. Only a limited number of studies have evaluated this matter. Therefore, the present study was undertaken to evaluate the success rate of the IANB technique administrated by dental students in Tabriz University of Medical Sciences in order to promote the dental educational programs. Materials and Methods: The subjects in the present consisted of patients referring to the Department of Oral Maxillofacial Surgery, Tabriz Faculty of Dentistry, who required surgery in the lower jaw. The dental students evaluated in the present study consisted of the third-, fourth- and fifth-year students who were selected randomly. A total of 30 patients underwent a local anesthetic technique by the third-, fourth- and fifth-year dental students each. Anesthetic agent cartridges containing 1.8 mL of 2% lidocaine with adrenalin were used for the local anesthetic technique. The success of the anesthetic technique was analyzed 2 and 5 minutes after injection with the use of an electric pulp tester (EPT). In addition, the severity of pain was tested with the use of VAS. Results: there was no significant difference in the success rate of the IANB technique between male and female students. Comparison of the success rate of the IANB technique between the third-, fourth- and fifth-year dental students showed no significant differences in response to EPT, perception of pain and feeling of the dental explorer between the three groups of students. However, the frequency of the success rate of the IANB technique showed that the success rates were 86.3%, 93.3% and 83.3% for the third-, fourth- and fifth-year dental students, respectively. Discussion: the success of this technique has been reported to be low in references for some reasons. In this context, unfortunately the most important fact that is not taken into account in the evaluation of the reasons for the failure of the IANB technique is the teaching and learning of the correct technique in universities and during university studies and only a limited number of studies have evaluated it. Conclusion: Previous studies have reported a 70% success rate for the IANB technique administrated by dental students; however, the results of the present study showed a success rates >70 for this technique administered by the third-, fourth- and fifth-year dental students in Tabriz University of Medical Sciences. The discrepancy between the results might indicate the important role of proper education in decreasing the failure rate of this technique.