Effect of the DentalVibe injection system on pain during local anesthesia injections in adolescent patients.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to compare the pain rating scale measurements from an exposure group (injections with the aid of DentalVibe Injection Comfort System) and control group (traditional injection without the aid of the DentalVibe) in adolescent patients using self-reported pain during administration of local anesthetic injections.

METHODS: This was a randomized, controlled study. Subjects consisted of 36 10- to 17-year-old patients who required local anesthesia for dental treatment on both sides of the maxilla or mandible. All subjects received a conventional injection (control) and an injection using DentalVibe (experimental). A pain rating for each injection was obtained from subjects using the Wong-Baker FACES Pain Rating Scale.

RESULTS: Statistical analysis using a Wilcoxon signed rank test found a significant reduction in pain ratings for injections with the DentalVibe when compared to control injections. There was a positive correlation between the pain rating for control injection and the difference between the two types of injection, indicating that subjects who reported a higher pain score with the control injection had a greater reduction when DentalVibe was used.

CONCLUSION: When compared to a conventional approach, DentalVibe significantly lowered self-reported pain during local anesthesia injection for adolescent subjects in this study.