EFFECT OF WARMING TWO DIFFERENT ANESTHETIC SOLUTIONS ON PAIN PERCEPTION DURING DENTAL INJECTION
Background: Local anesthetic injections are a major source of anxiety and pain in pediatric dental patients. Various techniques have been proposed to reduce injection-related discomfort, including warming anesthetic solutions. However, limited data exist comparing the pain perception of different prewarmed dental anesthetics in children. Aim: To evaluate and compare the effect of prewarmed lidocaine and articaine solutions at 42°C on pain perception during dental local anesthetic administration in children. Materials and Methods: This randomized crossover clinical study included 20 pediatric patients requiring dental treatment. Local anesthetic solutions (lidocaine and articaine) were prewarmed to 42°C for 4 minutes before administration. Each child received one anesthetic at the first visit and the alternate anesthetic at the second visit. Pain perception during injection was assessed using the Wong-Baker FACES Pain Rating Scale. Data were analyzed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Results: Both warmed anesthetic solutions resulted in reduced pain perception during injection. However, prewarmed articaine demonstrated a significantly lower mean pain score (3.90 ± 1.77) compared to prewarmed lidocaine (5.16 ± 2.03). The difference was statistically significant (P < 0.001). Conclusion: Prewarming local anesthetic solutions effectively reduces pain during dental injections in children. Among the anesthetics tested, prewarmed articaine was associated with significantly less pain on administration compared to prewarmed lidocaine, suggesting its clinical advantage in pediatric dental practice.