J Dent Anesth Pain Med.  2020 Dec;20(6):377-386. 10.17245/jdapm.2020.20.6.377.

The effect of pre-cooling versus topical anesthesia on pain perception during palatal injections in children aged 7-9 years: a randomized split-mouth crossover clinical trial

• Chilakamuri S
• SVSG N
• Nuvvula S

• KMID: 2509840
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.17245/jdapm.2020.20.6.377

Abstract

Background
To compare pain perception during palatal injection administration in children aged 7-9 years while using pre-cooling of the injection site versus application of topical anesthesia as a pre-injection anesthetic during the six months. Method: A prospective randomized split-mouth crossover trial was conducted among 30 children aged 7-9 years, who received topical application of either a pencil of ice (test group) or 5% lignocaine gel (control group) for 2 min before injection. The primary and secondary outcome measures were pain perception and child satisfaction, measured by the composite pain score and the faces rating scale, respectively. Unpaired t-test was performed to determine significant differences between groups.
Results
The test group had significantly lower pain scores for self-report and behavioral measures (P < 0.0001). The changes in physiological parameters at the baseline (P = 0.74) during (P = 0.37) and after (P = 0.88) the injection prick were not statistically significant. Children felt better by the pre-cooling method (P < 0.0001).
Conclusion
Ice application using a pencil of ice for 2 min reduced pain perception significantly compared to the use of a topical anesthetic. Moreover, ice application was preferred by children.

Keyword

Children; Local Anesthesia; Palate; Pain Perception; Pre-cooling; Topical Anesthetic