Pain management during needle insertion with low level laser.

Area of Science:

• Dentistry
• Pain Management
• Laser Therapy

Background:

• Needle insertion pain is a significant concern in dental procedures.
• Low-energy laser therapy has shown potential for local anesthesia with lidocaine.
• Limited data exists on combining laser therapy with benzocaine for needle pain reduction.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of combining low-power laser therapy with benzocaine topical anesthetic in reducing pain during dental needle insertion.
• To compare the pain perception of combined laser and benzocaine treatment versus benzocaine alone.

Main Methods:

• A prospective single-blind clinical trial involving 66 dental students.
• Subjects received either topical anesthetic (control) or topical anesthetic plus low-power laser (experimental) before needle insertion.
• Pain was assessed using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS).

Main Results:

• The experimental group (laser + benzocaine) reported a mean VAS score of 21, while the control group (benzocaine alone) reported 19.
• A statistically significant higher VAS score was observed in the experimental group.
• The difference in pain scores was not considered clinically significant.

Conclusions:

• Simultaneous application of low-power laser with benzocaine topical anesthetic does not reduce pain perception during dental needle insertion.
• This combined approach is not effective in managing pain associated with buccal mucosa injections.
• Further research may be needed to explore alternative pain management strategies.