Comparison of pain perception and heart rate between Dentapen and Vibraject during local anesthesia administration in adult patients: a randomized clinical study.

OBJECTIVE: The management of pain in dental procedures is crucial, as local anesthetic injections may induce patient anxiety and discomfort. Various techniques including Vibraject and Dentapen have been devised to alleviate injection discomfort. This study aimed to assess patient-reported pain perception levels during local anesthetic administration in the maxilla using Vibraject-assisted injection and the Dentapen system in ramp-up mode. METHOD AND MATERIALS: A total of 40 participants were enrolled in the study, with each participant receiving two different injections, thereby evaluating 80 sites in total. Participants were randomly assigned to undergo both types of injection, one on either side of the maxilla, next to the first molar. Pain intensity was evaluated using the visual analog scale (VAS) immediately following each injection, and heart rate measurements were recorded pre- and post-local anesthetic administration. The patients' preferences for injection methods were also documented. RESULTS: Analysis revealed a higher preference for Dentapen (62.5%) compared to Vibraject (37.5%). Heart rate measurements showed a statistically significant increase after Dentapen injection (P = .010), while insignificant differences were observed in heart rate measurements between Vibraject and overall heart rate measurements (P > .05). The mean VAS score for Vibraject (2.175) was slightly higher than Dentapen (1.550), although this difference did not reach statistical significance (P = .105). CONCLUSIONS: Dentapen was favored by the majority of participants. Results revealed a significant increase in heart rate following Dentapen injection. However, there was an insignificant difference in pain perception between the two methods. These findings emphasize the importance of patient preferences during local anesthesia administration.