Evaluation of the Efficacy of Different Topical Anesthetic Agents in Reducing Pain during Administration of Local Anesthesia in Children

Objective: to discuss the effectiveness of some products (Lidocaine gel 9.6%, Lidocaine spray 8% and Benzocaine 20%) in pain relief during local anesthesia before procedures in children. Patients and Methods: this study concluded 90 children between 5 - 12 years who were admitted to pediatric dentistry clinic at Tishreen University Hospital (TUH) during the period of 2021-2024. The study sample was divided into equally separated groups. Group I: Children received Lidocaine gel 9.6%; Group II: Children received 2% Lidocaine spray 8%; Group III: Children received Benzocaine gel 20% before infiltration anesthesia. Results: the study sample included 90 children between 5 - 12 years old with an average age of (8.23 ± 2.24). All subgroups had similar average of ages with no important differences (p > 0.05). There were significance differences among the studied groups according to the average values of SEM scale and faces pain rating scale during local anesthesia, the best values were in the Lidocaine gel group with 1.23 ± 0.4 and 4.76 ± 0.4 in order. We noticed no significant differences between Benzocaine and Lidocaine spray. Conclusion: the application of Lidocaine gel 9.6% for 1 min before infiltration anesthesia can safely and significantly decrease pain during mucosal puncture and anesthetic injection. Whereas lidocaine spray and benzocaine gel are equally effective in controlling pain during the administration of local anesthesia. The findings in this study can significantly aid in the development of painless dental treatments with minimal stress for young children.