A comparison of parenteral and electronic dental anesthesia during operative procedures in children

The effectiveness of electronic dental anesthesia (EDA) for pain control during restorative procedures was compared with local anesthesia (LA) in 108 pediatric patients aged 6-12. One tooth was treated with LA and another with EDA at the same appointment. The pain levels during restorative treatment were assessed using a color scale. Behavior also was assessed using sound, eye, and motor (SEM) scale. Although the success rate of EDA was less than that of LA, there was no significant difference between the two methods. On the other hand, 63% of the patients preferred EDA while 27.8% preferred LA. These results suggest that EDA is an effective nondrug pain control technique for amalgam restorations in primary and permanent molars for some patients.