J Dent Anesth Pain Med.  2024 Apr;24(2):109-117. 10.17245/jdapm.2024.24.2.109.

Efficacy of sucrose application in minimizing pain perception related to dental injection in children aged 3 to 9 years: a randomized control trial

• Ratnaparkhi I
• Winnier J
• Shetty D
• Kodical SR
• Manoj R
• Naik SS

• KMID: 2554944
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.17245/jdapm.2024.24.2.109

Abstract

Background
Dental fear and anxiety are significant challenges in managing behavior in children. Oral administration of sucrose or sweet-tasting solutions has shown effectiveness in reducing procedural pain in infants and neonates. This study aimed to investigate whether pre-application of sucrose solution had an effect on minimizing pain perception during injection and to assess the potential impact of the child’s age and sweet preference.
Methods
A randomized control clinical trial was conducted on 60 children aged 3–9 years requiring buccal infiltration injections. Following parental consent, demographic data of the children were recorded. Sweet preferences was assessed using a modified forced-choice test. Children were equally and randomly allocated into study (sucrose) and control groups using a lottery method. Sucrose solution or distilled water, respectively, was applied to the lateral surface of the tongue for 2 min. Topical anesthetic was applied at the site of injection, followed by local anesthesia administration. The children rinsed their mouths thrice with water immediately after anesthetic injection. A video was recorded during injection which was then scored by three blinded examiners on the Sound Eye Motor (SEM) scale. The children also self-evaluated using Wong-Baker Faces Pain Rating Scale (WBFPS).
Results
The mean SEM scores and WBFPS scores were analyzed using the Kruskall–Wallis test. The mean SEM score in the study group was 1.37 ± 0.61, compared to 3.17 ± 0.87 in the control group, showing a statistically significant difference (P < 0.001). Mean pain scores assessed by WBFPS in the study group were 0.60 ± 1.4, while in the control group, they were 6.27 ± 2.33, also showing a statistically significant difference (P < 0.001). Children with a sweet preference demonstrated a subjective reduction in pain perception.
Conclusion
Application of sucrose before dental injections in children helps to minimize pain upon injection across all age groups.

Keyword

Analgesia; Anesthesia; Dental; Pediatric Dentistry; Sucrose; Topical Anesthetics