The efficacy of sweet solutions on dental injection related pain: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials.

Abstract

Oral flavored solutions are effective for pain management. The intraoral application of sweet solutions at the injection site or on the tongue before local anesthetic administration leads to lower self-perceived pain than any other intervention. This systematic review aimed to evaluate the effect of sweet taste on injection pain in patients undergoing dental procedures. This systematic review was registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) under registration number CRD42024571962 and followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). An initial electronic search without a time limit up to September 2024 revealed 1,087 studies from indexed databases (PubMed, Scopus, Embase, Cochrane, and Web of Science). The Cochrane Bias Assessment Tool was used to evaluate the risk of bias. After eliminating duplicate and automated records, 103 studies were screened for inclusion. After reviewing the titles and abstracts and assessing the eligibility of the studies, three were excluded and eight RCTs were considered appropriate for inclusion and analysis. This review highlights that all the included studies reported significantly reduced pain perception after sweet solutions, regardless of the specific type or concentration.