Purpose: This study aimed to assess patients' perception of pain towards placing dental implants in mandibular region using
inferior alveolar nerve block versus infiltration anesthesia.
Materials and Methods: 50 patients who needed implant placement in the posterior mandibular region bilaterally were
included in this study. Two equal groups were assigned for this study, Group A: where inferior alveolar nerve block (IANB)
was used for implant placement and Group B: where Supraperiosteal infiltration was used. Patients' perception of pain, age,
gender, distance of each implant to mandibular canal, duration of surgery, and number of implants placed on each mandibular
side were all recorded and statistically analyzed.
Results: No significant difference between pain during drilling for dental implants in both groups was observed, however, pain
during implant placement was higher in group B. correlation was found between implant placement and distance to mandibular
canal in group B. Pain perception during implant preparation and placement increased with the presence of adjacent teeth.
Conclusion: Both infiltration and IANB can be used for drilling and placement of implants. Using a Lidocaine infiltration
anesthesia might give the operator an alert about the inferior alveolar nerve (IAN) approximation during only implant placement
as nerve injury can be encountered during drilling due to absence of alerting pain. It is anticipated the patient's pain perception
might increase with the increased number of teeth adjacent to the site of implant.