Efficacy of sucrose application in minimizing pain perception related to dental injection in children aged 3 to 9 years: a randomized control trial

• Published in: Journal of Dental Anesthesia and Pain Medicine Vol. 24; no. 2; pp. 109 - 117
• Main Authors: Ratnaparkhi, Ishani, Winnier, Jasmin, Shetty, Divya, Kodical, Sanjana R., Manoj, Reema, Naik, Shilpa S
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Korea (South) 대한치과마취과학회 01.04.2024
• Subjects: 치의학; Analgesia; Topical Anesthetics; Anesthesia; Sucrose; Pediatric Dentistry; Dental
• ISSN: 2383-9309; 2383-9317; 2383-9317
• DOI: 10.17245/jdapm.2024.24.2.109

Dental fear and anxiety are significant challenges in managing behavior in children. Oral administration of sucrose or sweet-tasting solutions has shown effectiveness in reducing procedural pain in infants and neonates. This study aimed to investigate whether pre-application of sucrose solution had an effect on minimizing pain perception during injection and to assess the potential impact of the child's age and sweet preference. A randomized control clinical trial was conducted on 60 children aged 3-9 years requiring buccal infiltration injections. Following parental consent, demographic data of the children were recorded. Sweet preferences was assessed using a modified forced-choice test. Children were equally and randomly allocated into study (sucrose) and control groups using a lottery method. Sucrose solution or distilled water, respectively, was applied to the lateral surface of the tongue for 2 min. Topical anesthetic was applied at the site of injection, followed by local anesthesia administration. The children rinsed their mouths thrice with water immediately after anesthetic injection. A video was recorded during injection which was then scored by three blinded examiners on the Sound Eye Motor (SEM) scale. The children also self-evaluated using Wong-Baker Faces Pain Rating Scale (WBFPS). The mean SEM scores and WBFPS scores were analyzed using the Kruskall-Wallis test. The mean SEM score in the study group was 1.37 ± 0.61, compared to 3.17 ± 0.87 in the control group, showing a statistically significant difference (P < 0.001). Mean pain scores assessed by WBFPS in the study group were 0.60 ± 1.4, while in the control group, they were 6.27 ± 2.33, also showing a statistically significant difference (P < 0.001). Children with a sweet preference demonstrated a subjective reduction in pain perception. Application of sucrose before dental injections in children helps to minimize pain upon injection across all age groups.