Introduction Understanding the anatomy of pterygomandibular fossa is crucial for dentists since it is one of the target spaces for inferior alveolar nerve blocks prior to dental treatment. Failure of achieving adequate anesthesia was reported in 20% of inferior alveolar blocks [1]. The sphenomandibular ligament and the interpterygoid fascia are integral structures that define this area [2]. The...

The inferior alveolar nerve (IAN) block is the most frequently used mandibular injection technique for achieving local anesthesia for dental treatment. However, the IAN block does not always result in successful anesthesia. Various other nerve blocks were introduced over the period of time to improve the success rate of anesthesia. The objective of this systematic review was to compare and eval...

Injury to the inferior alveolar nerve during implant placement in the posterior atrophic mandible is a rare but serious complication. Although a preoperative computerized tomography scan can help determine the distance from the alveolar ridge to the nerve canal, variables such as magnification errors, ridge anatomy, and operator technique can increase the chance for complications. The routine u...

BACKGROUND Clinically, it is well known that injury of mandibular nerve fiber induces persistent ectopic pain which can spread to a wide area of the orofacial region innervated by the uninjured trigeminal nerve branches. However, the exact mechanism of such persistent ectopic orofacial pain is not still known. The present study was undertaken to determine the role of connexin 43 in the trigemin...

This opinion article seeks to analyse current literature surrounding the question: is articaine better than lidocaine for inferior alveolar nerve blocks? It does so with regards efficacy and risk of paraesthesia associated administration.

A 16-years-old female patient with painless swelling of the right side of mandible is described. She noticed the swelling from two years ago, without painful symptoms. Axial CT imaging showed buccal expansion with intact buccal and lingual cortical bone. The report of incisional biopsy was central odontogenic fibroma. Under general anesthesia the lesion was removed after ostectomy of buccal cor...