Anatomy of the Inferior Alveolar Nerve in Rabbits and its Block Anesthesia

Abstract

Objective: This study performed an anatomical investigation of the mandible and inferior alveolar nerve in rabbits to provide an anatomical basis for the establishment of animal models for mandibular experiments and the implementation of block anesthesia in the inferior alveolar nerve. Methods: The mandible and the inferior alveolar nerve were dissected in 10 rabbits to investigate and measure the traveling distribution of the inferior alveolar nerve. A total of 20 rabbits were divided into an experimental group and a control group. A mandibular distraction osteogenesis model was established. Block anesthesia for the inferior alveolar nerve was conducted by the extraoral method, and anesthetic efficacy was evaluated. Results: The inferior alveolar nerve in rabbits enters the mandibular canal at the neural foramen of the medial mandibular ascending branch and is distributed in the mandible. The vertical distance between the anterior incisure of the mandibular angle and the mandibular neural foramen is 10-11 mm. When block anesthesia was performed on the inferior alveolar nerve at the anterior incisure of the mandibular angle, the rabbits in the experimental group showed a significantly lower degree of pain than those in the control group. Conclusion: The inferior alveolar nerve in rabbits is a sensory nerve that travels in the mandibular canal and is distributed on the mandible and mandibular teeth. Block anesthesia of the inferior alveolar nerve through the lower edge of the mandible is a simple and straightforward operation with an enhanced anesthesia efficacy for mandibular surgery in rabbits.