Comparison of Two Topical Anesthetics: Benzocaine Versus Pliaglis

Overview

The efficacy of the topical anesthetics will be determined by how much pain the patient felt (using a Heft-Parker pain analog scale) upon needle penetration.

This project will be a double blind study comparing the efficacy of two different topical anesthetics used to reduce the pain associated with insertion of dental needles on the palatal mucosa. The two topical anesthetics being compared are 20% Benzocaine, and Pliaglis. In order to complete a number of different dental procedures, it is often necessary to provide local anesthesia of the palate. Intraoral injections into the palatal mucosa are often uncomfortable and even painful. In an effort to increase patient comfort, a topical anesthetic is often used prior to the injection. Test subjects undergoing routine endodontic treatment on maxillary teeth will have a 27- gauge dental needle inserted into the mucosa of the hard palate as part of the initial step in standard local anesthetic injection. At the injection site and prior to the needle stick, the mucosa will be topically anesthetized by using one of the two different test compounds (Benzocaine or Pliaglis). After the injection, patients will be asked to score the level of discomfort associated with the needle stick. The purpose of the project is to determine if there is a clinical difference in the level of pain felt upon needle stick, between the two different topical anesthetics.

Conditions

Interventions

Eligibility

Locations (1)

Outcomes