Effectiveness of Local Anesthesia in Children's Pain Perception and Sedation During Dental Procedures Under General Anesthesia—A Randomized Clinical Study

• Published in: Ain Shams Dental Journal (Egypt)
• Main Author: Pavithra S.; Mahesh R.; Deepa G.; Hisham A.R.B.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Ain Shams University, Faculty of Dentistry 2024
• Online Access: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85207268675&doi=10.21608%2fasdj.2024.295745.1310&partnerID=40&md5=d249fdcf95481466f50bdb8f9c3de143

Aim: This study aims to assess the impact of 2% Lignocaine as a local anesthetic on children’s pain perception and sedation during dental treatments performed under general anesthesia. Materials and methods: The study is a double-blind, randomized clinical trial with a parallel design, involving 54 children (25 girls and 29 boys) aged 3 to 6 years, who underwent full-mouth rehabilitation under general anesthesia. Pain was measured immediately post-surgery and two hours later using the FLACC and Wong-Baker pain scales. Heart rate, blood pressure, and end-tidal CO2 levels were recorded five minutes before and after each procedure. Independent t-tests and Mann–Whitney U tests were used for statistical analysis. Results: Significant differences in end-tidal CO2 levels were found after restoration (p=0.044). Heart rate, diastolic blood pressure, and end-tidal CO2 levels showed significant changes post-pulp therapy with p-values of 0.007, 0.023, and 0.001, respectively. No significant changes were observed in anesthesia depth based on PRST scores. FLACC scores remained similar across groups immediately and two hours post-procedure. However, subjective pain scores from the Wong-Baker scale indicated significant differences (p=0.003) two hours after the procedure. Conclusion: Administering 2% Lignocaine as a local anesthetic helps stabilize intraoperative vital signs but does not significantly reduce postoperative pain. © 2024, Ain Shams University, Faculty of Dentistry. All rights reserved.