Pain Perception in Children towards Dental Anesthesia – A Survey

Aim: To study the effects of pain perception in children towards dental anesthesia and to evaluate the factors associated with pain perception in children and its effects on the overall dental treatment.  Background: Local anesthetic injection is considered as one of the most anxiety-provoking procedures in dentistry, which may result in the development of avoidance behavior in children that is often exaggerated with severe anxiety and fear. Pain perception in children towards local anesthesia is often the reason for not visiting the dentist, mainly due to its association with needle puncture despite its use to eliminate pain during a dental procedure. This study provides information on the factors commonly associated with pain perception in children towards dental anesthesia and its effects on the treatment progress.  Materials and Methods: A questionnaire-based study was done among 100 participants who took part in the survey. The participants consist of pediatric patients ranging from 5 to 12 years of age. All the participants were provided with a list of 12 questions related to their pain perception towards dental anesthesia. Data was collected and statistical analysis was done.  Results: Based on the results, 65% of the participants have been to a dentist previously and 58% of them enjoy going to the dentist. Awareness of dental anesthesia is seen in 55% of the participants with 49% of them have been anesthetized before. 95% viewed anesthetic injection as painful with 85% think that the pain is severe. Dental anesthesia is the main factor eliciting dental fear as stated by 88% of them and 73% suggest that they would react negatively towards dental anesthesia. Post-anesthetic problems were experienced by 67% of the participants, 3% have had allergic reactions following dental anesthesia. Conclusion: Based on the findings in this study, it can be concluded that pain perception in children towards dental anesthesia has significant effect on the overall dental treatment, in which behavioral management is often incorporated for such patients. A dentist should take into consideration the patient’s point of view towards dental treatment and factors that may elicit dental anxiety especially in children.