Vol. 5, Issue 1, Part A (2019)

Introduction: Majority of the dental procedures involve the administration of local anaesthesia. Patients are invariably afraid of the pain encountered with the LA administration. Hence it is essential for dentists to be aware of the techniques used to mask the pain and help the patient experience a painless treatment.

Background: Several intraoral vibrotactile devices are being marketed at a higher cost. This study is structured to cut down the cost and to increase the availability of intraoral vibrotactile devices so that it would be affordable for every dentist for their regular practice. Thus, an attempt was made to design a vibrotactile device similar to those available in the market. The efficacy of the device in controlling the pain associated with LA administration was studied.

Materials and Methods: This is randomized controlled clinical trial done in 150 patients using Visual Analog Scale (VAS) to assess the effect of a custom made intraoral vibrotactile device to overcome pain during local anaesthesia administration.

Results: The VAS scores for the study group using vibrations were notably lesser than those for the topical LA group and control group. (P-value = 0.05)

Conclusion: Thus, the device is beneficial in masking pain associated with LA administration at an affordable cost.