Aim: To study the discomfort and fear associated with maxillary infiltration injections when using a combination of external cold and a commercially available vibrating device.
Methodology: A total of 60 children aged 7 years old participated in this split mouth randomised crossover study. The control intervention comprised of the administration of 1.8 ml of 2% lidocaine with 1:100,000 adrenaline using a 24 mm 30 gauge needle, while the test intervention used external cold and a commercially available vibrating device in addition to the control protocol. The heart rate of the child at the time of injection was used as an objective measure and the Wong-Baker pain scale was used as a subjective measure of the child's discomfort. The face, limbs, arms, cry and consolability (FLACC) scale was used to record the child's pain as perceived by the dentist.
Results: Children reported a significantly lower Wong-Baker score and the operators observed a significantly lower heart rate and FLACC scores in the test visit than the control visit.
Conclusions: Combining external cold with vibrating devices might be effective in reducing discomfort and fear in children undergoing infiltration dental analgesia.
Clinical trials identifier: NCT02675387.
Keywords: Behaviour management; Dental anesthesia; Fear.