The coronoid notch serves as a landmark for which nerve block?

• A. Inferior alveolar nerve block
• B. Infraorbital nerve block
• C. Nasopalatine nerve block
• D. Mental nerve block

Answer: (A)

The coronoid notch is the deepest inward curve on the anterior border of the mandible’s ramus and serves as the key landmark for an inferior alveolar nerve block. When performing this block, you position the needle at roughly the height of the notch, about 6–10 mm above the occlusal plane, and advance medially toward the ramus toward the mandibular foramen where the inferior alveolar nerve enters. Contact with bone on the medial ramus confirms you’re in the right depth and direction, and a small withdrawal followed by deposition near the foramen anesthetizes the nerve distribution in the lower jaw.

Other nerve blocks rely on different landmarks: the infraorbital block uses the infraorbital foramen, the nasopalatine block uses the incisive canal near the palatine suture, and the mental nerve block targets the mental foramen in the anterior mandible.