Comparing effectiveness of infiltration, and inferior alveolar nerve anesthesia for extraction of posterior mandibular teeth

The present study compares the effectiveness of inferior alveolar nerve block and infiltration in the extraction of posterior mandibular teeth. 90 patients were divided into two groups. Group 1 included 45 patients and for each tooth, two injections (0.6 ml out of 1.8 ml of 2% lidocaine from one dental cartridge with 1:80000 adrenaline) were administered, one Local Anesthetic injection was given parallel to the long axis of the tooth in the depth of buccal sulcus with short needle and dental syringe. The second injection was delivered to the lingual vestibule of the mouth's floor to anaesthetize the soft and hard lingual tissue with short needle and dental syringe, whereas Group 2 included 45 patients and were given Inferior Alveolar Nerve Block (1.5 ml of 2% Lidocaine) and Long Buccal nerve Infiltration (0.3ml of 2% Lidocaine). In our study, we found 78% patients was pain free and 22% was feeling pain during tooth extraction in patients who were given infiltration, whereas patients in which Inferior alveolar nerve block was given, 89% patients was pain free and 11% were feeling pain during tooth extraction. 94% of males and 85% of females experienced no pain, whereas 6% of males and 15% of females felt pain during the extraction. The present study suggests that Infiltration can be used as an alternative approach to inferior alveolar nerve block during the extraction of Mandibular posterior teeth.