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Children's behavioral pain reactions during local anesthetic injection using cotton-roll vibration method compared
Ali Bagherian1, Mahmood Sheikhfathollahi2
1Dental Research Center, School of Dentistry, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
Insights
The cotton-roll vibration method significantly reduced children's pain reactions during dental injections compared to routine topical anesthesia. This technique offers a more effective approach to atraumatic intraoral local anesthesia administration in pediatric patients.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Dentistry
- Pain Management
- Anesthesiology
Background:
- Topical anesthesia is crucial for atraumatic intraoral local anesthesia.
- Children exhibit behavioral pain reactions during dental injections.
- Assessing pain management techniques in pediatric dental care is essential.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the cotton-roll vibration method with routine topical anesthesia for managing pain during dental injections in children.
- To evaluate children's behavioral pain reactions using direct observation during local anesthetic administration.
Main Methods:
- A randomized controlled clinical trial involving 48 children.
- Comparison of cotton-roll vibration (gel, cotton roll, vibration) versus routine topical anesthesia.
- Assessment of behavioral pain using the FHFHTC scale (0-18 scores).
Main Results:
- Cotton-roll vibration yielded lower FHFHTC scale scores (mean 1.21 ± 1.38) than routine topical anesthesia (mean 2.44 ± 2.18).
- The reduction in behavioral pain scores with cotton-roll vibration was statistically significant (P < 0.001).
- Observed pain scores ranged from 0-5 for cotton-roll vibration and 0-10 for the control method.
Conclusions:
- The cotton-roll vibration method is more effective than routine topical anesthesia in minimizing children's pain responses during local anesthesia.
- This technique enhances atraumatic dental injection procedures for pediatric patients.
- Cotton-roll vibration serves as a valuable tool for improving the patient experience in pediatric dentistry.
Background:
Topical anesthesia has been widely advocated as an important component of atraumatic administration of intraoral local anesthesia. The aim of this study was to use direct observation of children's behavioral pain reactions during local anesthetic injection using cotton-roll vibration method compared with routine topical anesthesia.
Materials And Methods:
Forty-eight children participated in this randomized controlled clinical trial. They received two separate inferior alveolar nerve block or primary maxillary molar infiltration injections on contralateral sides of the jaws by both cotton-roll vibration (a combination of topical anesthesia gel, cotton roll, and vibration for physical distraction) and control (routine topical anesthesia) methods. Behavioral pain reactions of children were measured according to the author-developed face, head, foot, hand, trunk, and cry (FHFHTC) scale, resulting in total scores between 0 and 18.
Results:
The total scores on the FHFHTC scale ranged between 0-5 and 0-10 in the cotton-roll vibration and control methods, respectively. The mean ± standard deviation values of total scores on FHFHTC scale were lower in the cotton-roll vibration method (1.21 ± 1.38) than in control method (2.44 ± 2.18), and this was statistically significant (P < 0.001).
Conclusion:
It may be concluded that the cotton-roll vibration method can be more helpful than the routine topical anesthesia in reducing behavioral pain reactions in children during local anesthesia administration.
