Effectiveness of electronic dental anesthesia for restorative care in children

The effectiveness of electronic dental anesthesia (EDA) for pain control during restorative procedures was compared with local anesthetic injection (LA) in 32 children aged 6 to 12 years. Each child selected had two antimere primary or permanent molars requiring similar-sized Class I or Class II restorations. The pain levels during restorative treatment were assessed using a visual analogue scale. Heart rates and behavior were also recorded. A crossover design was used with each child acting as his/her own control. The results showed that overall, EDA was less effective than LA for cavity preparation. The reported pain scores for EDA were higher in permanent teeth for the deeper cavities, and with one of the operators. The pre- or post-treatment anxiety scores were not found to differ significantly between the two restorative appointments. However, children with the highest pretreatment scores were more likely to report higher pain scores with EDA. Despite this, 63% of the children preferred EDA to LA. Dental anxiety, cavity depth, the tooth being treated, and operator attitude may also be important factors in determining the success of EDA.