Efficacy of greater auricular nerve infiltration anesthesia in patients having less than optimal analgesia after conventional inferior alveolar nerve block for surgical removal of mandibular third molar

The aim of this study was to determine efficacy of greater auricular nerve infiltration anesthesia in patients having less than optimal analgesia after conventional inferior alveolar nerve block for surgical removal of mandibular third molars particularly those fallig in category calss 2, position B and C. It was a Quasi-Experimental study done in Minor Oral Surgery Department at Armed Forces Institute of Dentistry, Rawalpindi from 19th August 2010 to 10th June 2011. Conventional inferior alveolar nerve block was given to 40 patients. Out of these 14[35%] patients had no pain while 26[65%] experienced pain in the angle of mandible area. These 26 patients were given greater auricular nerve infiltration which relieved pain in 21 patients [80.8%] while 5[19.2%] patients remained symptomatic [p=0.007]. Based on this study it was concluded that intraoperative analgesia is enhanced by greater auricular nerve infiltration in patients complaining of less than optimal analgesia after conventional inferior alveolar nerve block during mandibular third molar surgery