Dry socket: frequency of occurrence after intraligamentary anesthesia

To determine whether the use of intraligamentary anesthesia increases the incidence of dry socket, results of 305 extractions of mandibular molars in two groups of patients were studied. In the first group, inferior alveolar nerve block was applied, and, in the second, intraligamentary anesthesia was applied. A solution of 2% lidocaine with 1:80,000 epinephrine was used. Statistical analysis of the postoperative occurrence of dry socket indicated that the use of intraligamentary anesthesia did not result in a higher frequency of dry socket than did conventional anesthesia.