COMT, MAOA, and SLC6A4 Polymorphisms and Inferior Alveolar Nerve Block Success

July 12, 2026 updated by: Marmara University

The Relationship Between COMT, MAOA, and SLC6A4 Polymorphisms and the Success of Inferior Alveolar Nerve Block

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between COMT, MAOA, and SLC6A4 genetic polymorphisms and the success of inferior alveolar nerve block (IANB) in patients with symptomatic irreversible pulpitis in mandibular molars. Patients presenting with moderate to severe pain were enrolled. Before anesthesia, pain intensity was assessed using the Heft-Parker Visual Analog Scale (HP-VAS), and pulpal vitality was evaluated using cold and electric pulp tests. All participants received a standardized inferior alveolar nerve block with 4% articaine containing epinephrine. Fifteen minutes after injection, pulpal anesthesia was reassessed using cold and electric pulp tests. Patients who continued to respond to these tests were considered to have unsuccessful pulpal anesthesia and were excluded from the study. Patients with no response to either test were included in the study, and root canal treatment was initiated. Pain experienced during the procedure was assessed using the HP-VAS. Buccal swab samples were collected for genomic DNA isolation, and COMT, MAOA, and SLC6A4 polymorphisms were analyzed using a Real-Time PCR-based TaqMan genotyping assay. The association between genetic polymorphisms and the success of inferior alveolar nerve block was statistically evaluated.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
95

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Turkey (Türkiye)
    • Istanbul
      • Istanbul, Istanbul, Turkey (Türkiye), 34854
        • Faculty of Dentistry, Marmara University

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child
  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

Age between 15 and 60 years. American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) Physical Status I. Clinical diagnosis of symptomatic irreversible pulpitis in a mandibular molar requiring primary root canal treatment.

Positive response to both the cold test and electric pulp test before treatment.

Presence of pulpal bleeding upon access cavity preparation, confirming pulp vitality.

Periodontal probing depth ≤3 mm. Sufficient coronal tooth structure to allow rubber dam isolation. No use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) within 12 hours before enrollment.

No known allergy or hypersensitivity to articaine or epinephrine. No history of systemic or genetic disease. Ability and willingness to provide written informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria:

Previous endodontic treatment of the study tooth. Extensive coronal destruction preventing rubber dam isolation. Internal or external root resorption. Periodontal probing depth >3 mm. Pregnancy or breastfeeding. Known allergy or hypersensitivity to articaine or epinephrine. Use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) within 12 hours before enrollment.

Presence of any systemic or genetic disease. Inability or unwillingness to provide written informed consent.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Basic Science
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Standard Inferior Alveolar Nerve Block
Procedure: Inferior Alveolar Nerve Block with 4% Articaine
A standardized inferior alveolar nerve block was administered using 4% articaine with epinephrine to patients with symptomatic irreversible pulpitis in mandibular molars. Fifteen minutes after injection, pulpal anesthesia was evaluated using cold and electric pulp tests. Participants who continued to respond to either test were considered to have unsuccessful pulpal anesthesia and were excluded from the study. Root canal treatment was initiated in participants who showed no response to both tests. Pain experienced during treatment was assessed using the Heft-Parker Visual Analog Scale (HP-VAS). Anesthetic success was defined as an HP-VAS score of less than 54 mm, whereas an HP-VAS score of 54 mm or greater was considered anesthetic failure.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Success of Inferior Alveolar Nerve Block Anesthesia
Time Frame: During root canal treatment.
Anesthetic success was defined as an HP-VAS score of less than 54 mm during access cavity preparation and root canal treatment in patients with symptomatic irreversible pulpitis. An HP-VAS score of 54 mm or greater was considered anesthetic failure.
During root canal treatment.

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Marmara University

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Nevin kartal, Prof.Dr, Marmara University Faculty of Dentistry

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
November 12, 2025

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
April 2, 2026

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
April 28, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
July 5, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
July 5, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
July 13, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
July 14, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
July 12, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
July 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 25.09.2025/2025-66

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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