An alternative technique for administration of local anesthesia to reduce pain during needle insertion

Abstract

Purpose: Pain control, which is necessary during most dental procedures, is administered by injection of local anesthesia. Because the injection itself is painful, the procedure designed to reduce pain needs to be studied. Little data regarding the reactions of children to dental needle insertion without useof topical anesthetics have been reported. This study was conducted in order to evaluate the effi cacy of a non-topical procedure as compared to the conventional insertion technique for alleviating pain in children receiving local anesthesia injections. Materials and Methods: As an alternative procedure for injection, the clean and dried loose tissue at the injection site was quickly and gently pulled or pushed over the tip of the needle by the dentist to a depth of 1 to 1.5 mm. When the needle entered the tissue by the end of the bevel of the needle tip, a few drops of solution were released, advancing the needle to the proper depth to continue release of drug. Results: For pain response, a signifi cant difference in Sound, Eye and Motor scale ratings (p<0.000) was observed between the alternative insertion technique (less painful) and the conventional one. And, for both boys and girls, no signifi cant difference in response was observed between maxilla and mandiblein both the alternative technique and the conventional technique groups. Conclusion: Use of this alternative technique can result in reduced discomfort in pediatric dental patients and allows for administration of a superfi cial injection of local anesthesia prior to advancement of the needle into deeper tissue. In addition,it is simple and quick to use, costs nothing, and can be quite effective when compared with the conventional method of needle insertion.