Comparison of Conventional Syringe with Camouflaged Syringe and Vibration-assisted Syringe for Pain and Fear Perception during Local Anesthetic Administration in Children: A Split-mouth Randomized Controlled Trial

Aim and background: Although local anesthesia (LA) eliminates pain and instills a positive dental attitude, the physical appearance of its syringe is highly fear provoking and often intolerable. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the pain and fear perception in camouflaged syringe (CS) and vibration-assisted syringe (VA) when compared with conventional syringe and with each other (VACS) during local anesthetic administration in pediatric patients aged between 6 and 12 years.

Materials and methods: Eighty-five subjects were randomly assigned into three groups: CS group (n = 7), VA group (n = 26), and VACS group (n = 27). Physiological and psychometric scale readings were noted before and after injection. The primary outcome was to assess the change in patients' fear and pain levels using CS and VA vs conventional injection techniques, using the above scales. The secondary outcome was to learn the preference for a particular injection technique by the subjects.

Results: Based on the changes seen in the physiological and psychometric scales, pain and fear control was better in CS in the CS group (p < 0.00 for heart rate, VAS, and SEM score), vibration-assisted syringe in the VA group (p < 0.00 for VAS and SEM score), and vibration-assisted syringe in the VACS group (p < 0.00 for VAS score). The majority preference was CS in the CS group (64%), vibration-assisted syringe in the VA group (60%), and CS in the VACS group (52%).

Conclusion: VA followed by CS is better than the conventional syringe in terms of reducing pain and fear perceived during LA administration. Children preferred CS over VA or the conventional syringe.

Clinical significance: Children's disruptive behavior due to dental fear and pain often results in difficulty in providing effective dental treatment, which is frequently caused by the syringe used in LA delivery. Thus, techniques used to minimize this fear and pain are essential to provide safe, efficient, and quality dental care to children.

Trial registration: The trial was registered with the Clinical Trial Registry of India (CTRI/2023/11/059505).

How to cite this article: Ahmad N, Jindal MK, Agrawal N, et al. Comparison of Conventional Syringe with Camouflaged Syringe and Vibration-assisted Syringe for Pain and Fear Perception during Local Anesthetic Administration in Children: A Split-mouth Randomized Controlled Trial. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2024;17(11):1241-1247.