Effect of Pain Inhibitory Modulation Techniques on Blockade Analgesic Efficacy Inferior Alveolar Nerve Anesthetic in Irreversible Pulpitis: A clinical trial randomized placebo controlled

ower premolars and molars diagnosed with symptomatic irreversible pulpitis are a great challenge for dentists to effectively perform anesthetic blockade of the inferior alveolar nerve (IAN). Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the additive effect of transcutaneous electrical stimulation (TENS) on pain intensity after anesthetic blockade, during emergency endodontic procedures in patients diagnosed with irreversible pulpitis of lower premolars and molars. Forty patients were treated, randomly divided into two groups, Active TENS (AT, n=20) and Placebo TENS (PT, n=20). During the entire endodontic procedure, the intensity of pain was verified on a numerical scale (NRS) (0-100) and whether there was a need for anesthetic complementation. For the data obtained, the chi-square test and t test (p<0.05) were performed. For the AT group, the anesthesia success rate was 60%, while for the PT group, the anesthesia success rate was 25%, with a statistical difference between groups (p=0.025). For pain intensity as an isolated variable between groups, there was no statistical difference (p=0.133), AT (20.8+-21.5) and PT (31.3+-21.8). It was concluded that the use of TENS increased the success of IAN anesthesia for mandibular premolars and molars with symptomatic irreversible pulpitis.