A Clinical Evaluation of Comfort from the Use of Cooling as an Adjunct to the Traditional Use of Pressure for Nasopalatine Blocks
Abstract
Participants in this study received two treatments of 0.3 mL of 2% Lidocaine 1:100,000 epinephrine delivered as a nasopalatine injection, spaced 4 weeks apart. Each treatment was accompanied either by pressure alone or pressure with the adjunct of cooling through the use of refrigerant spray on a cotton tip applicator applied to the incisive papilla. Treatment modalities were randomized and participants were blinded as to which treatment they were experiencing at both appointments. After each treatment, participants completed a simple, visual analog scale to indicate comfort during injection. Four weeks after completion of the study, a survey was administered to assess preferences during treatment, complications with treatment and preferences post-treatment.
Forty-two students of the Texas A&M University Baylor College of Dentistry participated in the study. Forty students who had completed both treatments voluntarily participated in the survey. Wilcoxon Signed Ranks test was used to analyze data. Data showed a significant difference favoring the cold/pressure combination to pressure alone during injection (P=0.031). Results of the survey showed a significant number of the participants experienced mucosal sloughing associated with the use of the refrigerant spray.
It was concluded that cooling is an effective method to increase the comfort of nasopalatine injections in conjunction with pressure. Refrigerant spray is not recommended for the coolant as it has been shown to cause tissue damage. More studies should be done to find a viable alternative.
Citation
Matson, Philip (2015). A Clinical Evaluation of Comfort from the Use of Cooling as an Adjunct to the Traditional Use of Pressure for Nasopalatine Blocks. Master's thesis, Texas A & M University. Available electronically from https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /174194.