Comparison of Production of Pain and Oxidative Stress after Induction of Local Nerve Block or Use of NSAIDs following Painful Dental Procedures in Dogs

The objective of the present study was to investigate the superiority of rostral maxillary nerve blocks using the combination of lidocaine and bupivacaine or pre-operative administration of meloxicam in controlling the pain following the surgery in dogs undergoing dental pulpotomy in the rostral maxilla. Twelve dogs with healthy teeth were included in this study. Under general anesthesia, each dog was randomly assigned to receive either rostral maxillary nerve block with the combination of lidocaine and bupivacaine (0.4 ml per site) (Group A) or intravenous meloxicam (0.2 mg/kg) (Group B) prior to pulpotomy. Pulpotomy was performed in the right or left upper corner incisor teeth of each dog using a single technique. The score of pain was recorded using UMPS at 3, 5, and 24 hours after surgery and assessment of serum level of cortisol and indicators of oxidative stress including Total Antioxidant Capacity (TAC) and value of malondialdehyde (MDA) in hemolysis of red blood cells prior to surgery and at 30 min, 3 and 24 hours post-operatively. The highest score of pain was recorded at 5 hours after a pulpotomy, which was significantly higher in group B in comparison to group A (p = 0.026). Mean ± SD level of cortisol was significantly higher in group B at 30 min, 1 and 3 hours after pulpotomy in dogs of group B compared to group A (p < 0.05). TAC values were significantly lower in group A compared to group B. (p < 0.05). However, Mean ± SEM values of MDA were significantly higher in group A at different time intervals in comparison to group B. (p < 0.05). It is concluded that rostral maxillary nerve block by using the combination of lidocaine and bupivacaine in painful dental procedures seems more effective than administration of meloxicam to control pain resulted from pulpotomy in dogs in early hours.