The Optimal Injection Site for a 3D Guided Inferior Alveolar Nerve Block Device (IANBD)

Conditions

• Inferior Alveolar Nerve Block

Eligibility Criteria

Sex

ALL

Age

18 Years - N/A

Healthy Volunteers

Not accepted

Interventions

• IANBD 3D guided approach — PROCEDURE
  The IANBD will be used to administer the dental anesthetic 2mm medial to the lingula

Study Details

Given the thicker cortical bone in the mandible compared to the maxilla, mandibular teeth cannot be effectively anesthetized via local infiltration anesthesia. Instead, clinicians typically perform regional anesthesia and most commonly, Inferior Alveolar Nerve block (IANB). However, the inferior alveolar nerve is deeply submerged by surrounding structures of bone, muscles, ligaments and vessels. Traditional IANB is a technique by using anatomical landmarks not directly related to Inferior Alveolar Nerve (IAN) to approximate the location of mandibular foramen, where IAN enters mandible. IANB is considered a blind technique and known for the lack of accuracy and precision. The failure rate can be as high as 30-45%. In contrast, the investigator's cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) guided IANB device (IANBD) effectively directs the needle to the mandibular foramen which improves the success rate of the IANB on the first attempt, minimizes injection tissue damage, and reduces patient discomfort. In this proof of concept trial, a 3D printed CBCT guided IANBD will be used to administer anesthesia at three injection sites instead of the traditional IANB technique. Participants will be consented patients at the postdoctoral endodontic treatment center, Department of Endodontics, Boston University (BU) Henry M. Goldman School of Dentistry. The goal of this research is to to evaluate the acceptability, safety, and effectiveness of guided anesthesia using the IANBD by enrolling 10 subjects who require non-surgical endodontic therapy with a simple, affordable and reliable prototype to be used by clinicians in the dental care setting.

Key Dates

Start date

Dec 17, 2025

Status verified

Jan 2026

Primary completion

Nov 30, 2027

Completion

Nov 30, 2027

Study Design

Enrollment

10 participants (estimated)

Allocation

NA

Intervention model

SINGLE_GROUP

Primary purpose

TREATMENT

Arms

• Experimental: IANBD guided Inferior Alveolar Nerve block (IANB) injection
  Participants will receive a guided IANB using an IANBD.

Primary Outcome Measure

Participant acceptability [ Time Frame: 30 minutes post dental procedure ]

Central Contacts

• Tum-Yi Hsu, DMD DScD
  (617) 358-3481
  [email protected]
• Emily Wen, DDS
  [email protected]

Locations (1)

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