Effect of a needle‐free system versus traditional anesthesia on pain perception during palatal injections in children

Abstract

Background: Needle-free injection systems can contribute to the prevention of needle-related pain during palatal infiltration anesthesia (PIA) in children.Research on this topic in children is required. Aim:The purpose of this clinical study was to evaluate the effectiveness and patient preference of a needle-free system versus traditional anesthesia (TA) on pain perception during PIA in children. Design:The study was designed as a randomized, controlled crossover clinical study with 48 children aged 6-12 years requiring dental treatment with PIA in bilateral maxillary primary molars. TA was applied on one side and the Comfort-in™ injection system (CIS) on the other side in two separate sessions.Then, patient preference was recorded. The pain perception during PIA was evaluated using the Wong-Baker FACES Pain Rating Scale (PRS) and the Face, Legs, Activity, Cry, Consolability (FLACC) Scale. The data were analyzed for statistical significance (p < .05).Results: There were statistically significant differences between the TA and the CIS according to the PRS and FLACC Scale scores. On both scales, significantly higher pain ratings were observed in the TA group during PIA (p < .001). There was a statistically significant difference in terms of patient preference (p < .001).Although 77.1% (n = 37) of the children preferred the CIS, 22.9% (n = 11) preferred the TA. Moreover, patient preference for the CIS was significantly higher in older children (p < .01). Conclusions:The application of a needle-free system during PIA ensured a decrease in pain perception in children. K E Y W O R D Sinjection pain, local anesthesia, needle-free injection, pain management, palatal infiltration anesthesia How to cite this article: Kaya E, Yıldırım S. Effect of a needle-free system versus traditional anesthesia on pain perception during palatal injections in children.

Pain Control of Needle-less Jet Anesthesia Versus Conventional Infiltration Anesthesia for Pulpotomy of Maxillary Primary Molars in Children: A Randomized Controlled Trial

“…After the injection of the local anesthetic agent, the mean and standard deviation of pain scores using FPS-R was 2.38±1.96 for group I and 2.79±2.33 for group II, and using the SEM scale was 5.21±1.66 for group I and 6.11±2.33 for group II, with no statistically significant difference between both groups which was consistent with Oliveira et al, 2019;Ocak et al, 2020. This can be attributed to the sudden felt pressure and heard popping sound upon jet injection which might have accounted for fear of a sudden stimulus reflecting on pain perceived or misinterpretation of the pressure as pain (Kaya and Yıldırım, 2022).…”

“…During dental treatment, delivery of local anesthetics painlessly to children has been always a very difficult task. Nevertheless, controlling pain and fear of the injection process helps in minimizing the child's worries and anxieties, contributes to building a positive and trustworthy relationship with the child, and assists in developing a future desirable positive dental attitude (Kaya and Yıldırım, 2022).…”