Comparative Evaluation of Transcutaneous Electronic Nerve Stimulation and Topical Anesthesia in Reduction of Pain Perception during Administration of Local Anesthesia in Pediatric Dental Patients

Abstract

Aim: The aim of the present study was to compare and evaluate the effectiveness of lignocaine jelly and transcutaneous electronic nerve stimulation (TENS) in reducing pain perception during administration of local anesthesia in pediatric dental patients.
Materials and Methods: Thirty children in the age group 6 to 10 years who required inferior alveolar nerve block for dental treatment were selected for this study. Patients were randomly divided in two equally group i.e. group I- Topical lignocaine group and group II - TENS group. Pain perception was evaluated using Wong–Bakers Face Pain Rating Scale in both the groups. t- test was used to evaluate the differences in mean pain scores between the groups.
Result: Local anesthetic injection along with transcutaneous electronic nerve stimulation resulted in significantly less pain (p < 0.05) in comparison with compared to topical application of local anesthetic agent. Conclusion: The result shows that transcutaneous electronic nerve stimulation can be used as an effective means to reduce the intensity of pain during local anesthetic injection in pediatric dental patients.