Comparing the effect of photobiostimulation, pressure and topical anesthetic gel on reducing pain during maxillary infiltration injection: a clinical trial study

Background Pain control during needle insertion reduces stress and increased collaboration between the patient and the dentist. The aim of this study was to compare the effect of photobiostimulation, pressure, and topical anesthetic gel on reducing pain during infiltration injection. Materials & Methods A double-blind clinical trial was conducted using 16 healthy volunteers ranging from 20–40 years of age. Each of the four interventions was done for each person at intervals of one week: (1) Photobiostimulation using low-power diode LASERs with 808 nm, 400 mW continuous wave at an applied energy density of 2 J/cm ² . (2) 20% benzocaine topical anesthetic gel. (3) Pressure and (4) Control group. Then injection of 0.5mL 2% lidocaine into the buccal mucosa of the maxillary canine was done. All subjects recorded pain using the visual analog scale (VAS). The Freidman and Dunn tests were used for data analysis. Results The mean scores of VAS for the LASER, gel, pressure, and control groups were 1.43, 2.90, 1.78, and 3.15, respectively. The mean pain level in the LASER group (p = 0.03) and pressure (P = 0.02) was lower than the control group. Conclusion photobiostimulation and pressure are effective in decreasing pain during needle insertion. Trial registration: All experimental procedures on patients who participated in this clinical trial were approved by the Local Ethical Committee of Tehran Azad University of medical sciences (in accordance with the ethical standards outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki) (IR.IAU.DENTAL.REC.1396.22). Moreover, the proposal of this study was reviewed, confirmed and recorded in Iranian Clinical Trial Center (code No: IRCT 20141222020396N2). Date: 2018-01-21