Comparison of Frontozygomatic versus Sigmoid Notch Approach for Extraoral Maxillary Nerve Block Anesthesia: A Prospective Clinical Trial

Background With definitive indications, extraoral techniques of achieving regional nerve blocks are a boon to oral and maxillofacial surgical practice. Though less commonly practiced, since general anesthesia is more favored, certain medical conditions favor the use of regional nerve blocks over general anesthesia. To block the maxillary nerve extraorally, sigmoid notch approach and frontozygomatic approach have been previously described in the literature, but a clinical trial comparing these techniques is sparse. This study attempts to compare both the approaches for their efficacies while paying an equal attention to the associated complications.