J Dent Anesth Pain Med.  2024 Apr;24(2):91-99. 10.17245/jdapm.2024.24.2.91.

Effectiveness of pre-injection use of cryoanesthesia as compared to topical anesthetic gel in reducing pain perception during palatal injections: a randomized controlled trial

• Rai S
• Jaisani MR
• Dongol A
• Acharya P
• Yadav AK

• KMID: 2554942
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.17245/jdapm.2024.24.2.91

Abstract

Background
Palatal injections are often painful. We aimed to compare topical ice and 20% benzocaine gel for pre-injection anesthesia before greater palatine nerve block (GPNB) injections.
Methods
A randomized split-mouth clinical trial was conducted among patients aged 15-60-years needing bilateral GPNB injections. A total of 120 palatal sites from 60 patients were randomly allocated to Group A (topical ice) or Group B (20% benzocaine gel). Pain was evaluated using sound, eye, motor (SEM), and the visual analog scale (VAS) in both groups. Inferential analysis was performed using the Mann-Whitney U test.
Results
The mean age of the participants was 20.5 ± 3.9 years. The median VAS score for group A was 11 (Q1 - Q3: 5.25 - 21.75), which was slightly higher than the 10 (Q1 - Q3: 4.0 – 26.75) reported in group B. However, the difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.955). The median SEM score for group A and group B was 3.5 (Q1 - Q3: 3.0 – 4.0) and 4.0 (Q1 - Q3: 3.0 - 4.0), respectively, which was statistically insignificant (P = 0.869).
Conclusion
Using ice as a form of topical anesthetic for achieving pre-injection anesthesia before GPNB was as effective as 20% benzocaine gel.

Keyword

Benzocaine; Cryoanesthesia; Ice; Pain Perception; Palate; Topical Anesthetics