Comparison of a guiding device for inferior alveolar nerve block to traditional anatomical administration: a preliminary study - ROS - 2016 - Tome 45 - N°2

ABSTRACT
Introduction:
The availability of several techniques for inferior alveolar nerve analgesia in a targeted area of the pterygomandibular space reflects the difficulties faced by practitioners. The objective of this study was to compare a guiding device for the inferior alveolar nerve block to traditional freehand anatomical administration.
Methods:
An analysis of 40 CT scans of facial masses aided in the determination of the most appropriate configuration of the guiding device. Depending on individual morphological characteristics, the projection point of the device was situated on the medial surface of the mandibular ramus, between 7.00 mm and 14.00 mm anterior to the posterior edge of the ramus.
To assess the effectiveness of the guiding device, we tested it on 12 human heads taken from fresh cadavers.
Results:
Three-dimensional reconstructions of scanned sections revealed that the tip of the needle was in the upperposterior quadrant of the mandibular ramus in 91.6% of subjects, at a distance of 7.0-14.0 mm anterior to its posterior edge.
Conversely, when the mechanism was not used, this percentage fell to 58.3%. However, this difference was not statistically significant due to the small anatomical sample size.
Conclusion:
This study shows promising results and should be complemented by a clinical study to evaluate the effectiveness of the device in a larger patient population.