Effect of Lidocaine/Dexamethasone on the Success of IANB

Effect of Lidocaine/Dexamethasone on the Success of IANB in Patients With Irreversible Pulpitis

The purpose of this prospective, randomized, double-blind study was to compare the success rate of IAN block injection carried out with two cartridges of 2% lidocaine with 1:80000 epinephrine each combined with 0.2 ml dexamethasone versus two cartridges of 2% lidocaine with 1:80000 epinephrine each combined with 0.2 ml sterile distilled water for endodontic treatment of mandibular molars with symptomatic irreversible pulpitis.

Several investigations have been carried out to demonstrate the effect of dexamethasone added to local anesthetics in regional block injections. These investigations shown that the addition of dexamethasone to local anaesthetics may prolong the duration of anesthesia and also results in a faster onset. It is hypothesized that dexamethasone added to lidocaine may affect the success rate of inferior alveolar nerve block

Inclusion Criteria:

• vital mandibular molar tooth
• diagnosis of symptomatic irreversible pulpitis

Exclusion Criteria:

• younger than 18 years old
• history of significant medical conditions
• allergies to local anesthetics or sulfites
• pregnancy
• taking any medications that might influence anesthetic assessment
• active sites of pathosis in area of injection
• inability to give informed consent