Evaluation of the effect of different dental anesthesia techniques on pain and anxiety with psychometric and biochemical parameters

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of infiltrative anesthesia applications applied with traditional method and computer assisted anesthesia device (Sleeper One) on pain and anxiety in pediatric patients. Sixty patients aged between 7-11 years who applied to Gaziantep University Faculty of Dentistry Pedodontics Clinic were included in the study. The patients were randomly divided into two groups (n=30); Control group (traditional infiltrative anesthesia) and Study group (infiltrative anesthesia with Sleeper One). Effect of local anesthesia applications on pain and anxiety were evaluated with Numerical Pain Scale (VAS), Wong Baker Face Scale (WBS), Modified Pediatric Dental Anxiety Scale (MCDAS), FLACC Scale (Face, Legs, Activity assessment, Crying state, Consolability), heart rate, oxygen saturation (SpO2), and salivary cortisol level measurement. Obtained data were analyzed statistically. The study found that pain and anxiety were not associated with age and gender. With the application of anesthesia, increased heart rate values were obtained in both the control and study groups (p<0.05). There was no statistically significant difference between the SpO₂ values obtained at different measurement times in the control and study groups (p>0.05). After anesthesia, VAS, FLACC, MCDAS, and cortisol values were significantly higher in the control group than in the study group (p<0.05). When WBS values are examined; in the control group, 76.67% of the patients felt 'little pain or significant pain' and 16.67% of patients felt 'severe or unbearable pain'. In the study group, it was seen that 56.67% of the patients felt 'very little pain', 20% felt 'little pain', and none of them felt severe or unbearable pain. According to the results obtained from this study, it was found that computer-assisted anesthesia can reduce the occurrence of pain and anxiety in pediatric patients, therefore it is acceptable in pediatric patients.