Evaluation of the effectiveness and comfort of incisive nerve anesthesia given inside or outside the mental foramen

Abstract

Thirty volunteer subjects were given bilateral injections of one-half carpule of 2% Xylocaine with 1:100,000 epinephrine to anesthetize the incisive nerve. Injections were given either inside or outside the mental foramen. Success (80/80 reading) and duration of anesthesia were verified with the Analytic Technology pulp tester. Pain and preference for either injection type were evaluated via questionnaire. The mental foramen could be located in 1 min 56.6% of the time. There was a significantly greater chance of success for injections given inside the foramen for the second bicuspid (p = 0.0422) and the canine (p = 0.015). There was no statistically significant difference in success for either type injection for the first bicuspid (p = 0.184). There was no significant difference in duration of anesthesia whether given inside or outside the foramen and no difference in pain of injection with either type. Patients had no clear-cut preference for either injection type.