Comparing the Effectiveness of Adrenaline, Clonidine, and Dexmedetomidine in Enhancing Local Anesthesia for Orthodontic Extractions Using the Infraorbital Block: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

This study is a double-blinded randomized controlled trial comparing adrenaline, clonidine, and dexmedetomidine as adjuvants to 2% lignocaine for infraorbital nerve block in orthodontically indicated maxillary premolar extractions. The primary outcomes assessed include onset, duration, and depth of anesthesia, intra-operative pain, postoperative pain, and need for additional analgesia, along with patient satisfaction and adverse effects. A total of 66 patients (22 per group), aged above 15 years and systemically healthy, will be selected from the Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery OPD and randomly allocated into three study groups. Standardized infraorbital block administration will be followed, and outcomes will be measured using stopwatch timing and VAS/Wong-Baker pain scales. Data will be analyzed using ANOVA and Tukey’s post-hoc test for normal variables and the Kruskal-Wallis test for ordinal or non-normal data, with significance set at p < 0.05. The planned study duration is approximately three months.