Comparing the Effects of Najo-Caine P® and Topical Benzocaine on Reducing the Pain of Needle Insertion in Palatal Anesthesia in 9-12 Year Old Children: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Pain management is one of the important issues in dental treatments. Fear of pain can make the process of anesthesia injection before dental treatment difficult for both the dentist and the patient. The aim of this study was to compare the effect of Najo-Caine P® with topical Benzocaine in reducing the pain of needle insertion in palatal anesthesia in 9-12 year old children.

In a double-blind clinical trial, 23 children aged 9-12 years were selected via convenience sampling, who needed palatal anesthesia injection on both sides of the jaw, at the Dental Clinic affiliated with Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, in 2022. The desired areas were air-dried for 5 seconds. Benzocaine was applied with a cotton swab on one side of the jaw, and in the next session with the same preparation on the other side of the jaw, Najo-Caine P® anesthesia (2.5% lidocaine cream and 2.5% prilocaine similar to EMLA) was applied by the injector for 2 minutes.

The Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) scores for Benzocaine and Najo-Caine P® were compared. The VAS score for Najo-Caine P® (3.52) was lower than that of Benzocaine (3.78), but, the difference was not statistically significant (P= 0.488).

Current study suggests that Najo-Caine P®, as a form of EMLA cream, can be used as an alternative to Benzocaine before palatal infiltrate injection to reduce palatal pain in children.